Wingless
by spectaclesandbooks
Summary: The last person Marinette wants to discover her secret, is of course, the first one who does. But what price will Marinette have to pay to buy Chloe's silence? And what toll will it take on her and those around her? Namely, one very worried kitty cat... LadyNoir/Marichat, etc. Angst, fluff and all kinds of fun
1. Chapter 1

_Beep beep beep._

Ladybug's hand went to her earrings.

"Well, Chat, looks like I've gotta fly." She grinned, spinning her yoyo in preparation for the leap she was about to make. Chat Noir smirked and leaned against a lamppost that hadn't been there 10 minutes ago. It had, in fact, been knocked over by a particularly vivacious akumatized-person, and had only recently been restored by Ladybug's Lucky Charm.

"Well, now. I can tell I'm rubbing off on you. Probably more than you know…" the kitty preened himself smugly.

"Huh?" Ladybug looked at him questioningly, yoyo still in motion. Chat looked down at her through veiled eyes and leaned in enticingly.

"You can't tell me that wasn't a _pun,_ Bugaboo. 'Gotta fly?' Not the most original, but I appreciate the effort." Ladybug shook her head and chuckled. Her earrings beeped again, more urgently, and she raised a hand to tickle Chat's chin, much to his delight.

"Silly kitty." She murmured. And with that, she was gone, swooping through alleyways and over rooftops before her kwami's transformation wore off. Ashe left behind a slightly dazed Chat, whose entire blood supply seemed to be racing to the spot where she'd touched him, judging by the fact it felt like it was on fire. After his moment in a star-struck trance, Chat shook his head and grinned to himself as he slinked off through the darkening streets of Paris.

oOo

Ladybug felt the tingle in her extremities that signalled her transformation was coming to an end, and knew she wouldn't be able to make it back to the bakery in time. Hurriedly, she dropped to the ground and ran to the nearest lamppost, hoping there weren't any prying eyes. She didn't get a chance to look and check however, before the pink glow enveloped her and she changed back into plain old Marinette.

With a sigh, she opened her purse to let Tikki fly inside from where she was currently floating by Marinette's head. When Tikki didn't go into the purse, the girl looked up to see a horror-stricken expression on her kwami's small face.

"Tikki, what's wrong?" Asked Marinette, worriedly. Seeing that the little creature's eyes were focused on something to Marinette's left, the girl craned her head round to see what the problem was.

And it turned out to be a very big problem.

Chloe Bourgeois was standing not ten feet away, with her mouth wide open and her phone in her hand, clearly having been trying to take a photo of her anonymous heroine.

Marinette suddenly went very cold.

 _No no no no no no no._

The air seemed frozen. The city was silent, almost as if it sensed it's heroine's turmoil and was holding it's breath in expectation of the fallout. The moon strengthened it's shine and the few seconds stretched into eternities.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Whispered the blonde as the two girls stared at each other, both equally aghast. Marinette couldn't seem to make herself speak, move, do anything. She was frozen in place, just like her kwami. A sneer began to work it's way across Chloe's face, taking the place of the shock that had been there previously. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng is _Ladybug?"_ Chloe screeched, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Chloe, please, shh-" Marinette began, panickedly, only to be cut off by Chloe's malevolent cackle.

"Well, isn't this a revelation! And to think, I was around to take this _perfectly_ timed photo…" Chloe turned the phone around so Marinette could see the image on the screen clearly. Her stomach dropped. Taken from such a close distance, there was no way anybody could mistake the figure. Clearly Marinette, the figure was halfway through the de-transformation. She had no mask, and her suit only covered her torso, neck and the top of her thighs as it retreated, leaving Marinette's trademark pink jeans and grey shirt in it's wake. She was surrounded by a pink light, and her kwami was just materialising out of her earrings. The scene depicted was unmistakeable. Ladybug was Marinette, and soon the entire country would doubtless know about it.

Marinette, _Ladybug,_ was doomed.

"Just you wait, Maritrash. Before you know it, this picture will be all over the internet. Everybody is going to find out who Ladybug really is, and won't they be disappointed!" Chloe cried exultantly. She'd always been looking for a way to one-up Marinette, and _finally,_ here was the triumph she'd been waiting for. It was better than she could ever have hoped. She pulled the phone back towards her, and prepared to send the image in a mass text to every single one of her contacts.

"No!" Cried Marinette, stepping forwards, arms outstretched. The blonde raised an eyebrow at her. "Please, Chloe. Please don't tell anyone. I'm begging you, I- I'll do anything."

Chloe tilted her head, intrigued.

"Well, now. Doesn't that sound interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys! I just want to say thank you so much for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I hope to update this regularly, and the chapters will probably be getting longer as I wrote these two just as a segway into the main story... please review, follow and favourite, and remember to leave sugegstions as to where you think the story should go! XXX

* * *

Marinette had never been more tense in her life.

Here she was, in Chloe's room, as the girl set out her list of demands. Demands that Marinette had to meet if she didn't want the world to find out she was Ladybug. She'd told Tikki to go home, to wait for her there, as the kwami was only making her more anxious. Her fingernails were a wreck, nibbled raw, and she was fairly certain she was going to pass out at some point.

Chloe, meanwhile was of course, vastly enjoying the whole thing. She sat back in her luxurious chair, admiring the sheet of paper her extravagant handwriting adorned with her list of requests. Finally satisfied, she finished re-reading them and stretched her arms with a delicate yawn.

"Come and have a look then, Maritrash."

Marinette jumped up anxiously and scurried over to the blonde. Chloe loved how nervous the other girl was, and revelled in the fact that it was her power that had finally put her in (what she thought was) her place.

She gestured carelessly to the sheet in front of her, and stalked off to lie grandly on her bed as Marinette read it. It read:

 **You will do my maths, French, English, History, Geography and all of my science homework for me**

 **You will bring me food from your parents' bakery every day. But make sure they're the ones who cooked it, I don't want your grubby little fingers all over my croissants**

 **You will be at my every beck and call, I'll need your mobile number to make sure I can contact you when I need you**

 **Ladybug is to come to every party I throw**

 **Ladybug is going to present herself as my best friend. The rest of Paris still admires her, and it's bound to be good for me if we're BFFs**

 **You'll come over once every two weeks to tidy my room, clean my bathroom, polish my shoes and iron my clothes**

 **You're to be my 'best friend' at school, talking to nobody else during breaks**

 **If you** _ **do**_ **talk to anyone other than Sabrina or me, it is to be about how awesome, amazing and kind I am**

 **If any of these demands are not met, or you break some of the rules I have set for you, I will have no choice but to send a copy of this photo to everybody in Paris. And then you'll be over.**

 **Got it?**

Marinette breathed shallowly. How was she supposed to comply with all of these? And manage her own schoolwork? _And be Ladybug when Paris needed her?_ She looked up at Chloe, who was strewn across her bed, looking like a cat who'd got the cream. Almost as if she knew what was going through Ladybug's mind, she waved her phone menacingly with a dark smile.

"What do you say, little Ladybug? Do we have ourselves a deal?"

Marinette swallowed hard. She looked back at the list. This was going to be the hardest choice of her life. On the one hand, she could work herself into exhaustion, lose all of her friends, and submit herself to humiliation and torture from her least favourite person on the planet (other than Hawkmoth, maybe). But on the other hand, she could lose her kwami, her powers, and make herself a laughing stock in front of the entire city. Tikki would be forced to find another Ladybug, and the world would know that good, brave heroic Ladybug was none other than clumsy, pathetic, plain old Marinette. _And she would lose Chat._

Chat…

Marinette strengthened her resolve. She couldn't face losing her kitty. So she swallowed her pride, and looked her enemy in the face. And nodded.

If possible, Chloe's smile got even wider. She tilted her head to the side and breathed a happy, disgusting little sigh of satisfaction.

"Good. I hoped you'd choose that option. Of course, either way your life is ruined and I get to subject you to absolute humiliation, but this way, I get a slave out of it! Yay me!"

Marinette's blood boiled, and she had to stop herself from storming across the room and slapping the smug grin off the girl's stupid face. Somehow she managed to hold herself back, and Chloe watched in glee and she struggled to contain her anger, knowing she could do nothing.

Marinette turned to leave, the demands clenched in a tight little fist.

"Oh, and, Maritrash?" Called Chloe as she reached the door. The blonde beckoned, and Marinette walked back to her, knowing that Chloe had waited until she was almost out of the door before calling her, so she'd have to walk further. As she reached the bedside, Chloe beckoned her in even further so Marinette was leaning over her. Abruptly, Chloe sat up and grabbed the front of Marinette's shirt pulling her down so Mari's ear was level with her lip-glossy lips.

"Just so you know," whispered Chloe in a sickly sweet voice, "if I see you looking, smiling or talking with my Adrien, this photo will be all over town before you can say _Lucky Charm._ "


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took longer to update, guys, but I had to go back and edit some of the stuff in the middle before I published it because I didn't really like it... :/ I can't believe how many views and follows this thing has gotten, you guys are unbelievable! I know Chloe is over-the-top and kinda OOC in her bitchiness, but I kinda need her to be for the story to progress... And yes, we will be getting some LadyNoir scenes, just bear with me :D xx

* * *

Marinette had never dreaded school more in her life. The previous night's events had taken their toll on her, and her eyes were underlined by puffy, dark bruises, illustrating the lack of sleep she'd managed to get. Inside, her stomach was twisting and coiling in anticipation of the hell that was sure to come her way in the coming months. No Alya, no Nino, no Adrien. Double homework, extra duties as Ladybug, and she had to be Chloe's personal slave? How could she manage it all, and stay sane!

But she had to manage it. For Chat's sake.

She knew if her identity was revealed that she'd most likely never see her kitty again. He'd have to get used to a new Ladybug, and would be forced to realise what a sham she'd been as his partner. She was only strong while in her suit, only brave under the mask. Unveil who she really was, and Paris would never trust it's superheroes again. It wouldn't put its citizens' lives in the hands of teenagers, in the hands of a baker's daughter. Everybody would know how pathetic Ladybug really was, and she didn't think Chat would take the time to visit, once he knew who she was. It would undoubtedly put his identity and safety into jeopardy too, if her secret came out. Marinette would have to go along with Chloe.

She took a deep breath, and walked down to the bakery, her purse feeling empty without her kwami. She'd told Tikki to stay home, worried that the kwami's tension and anxiety would rile her up even more and make it harder for her to subject herself to Chloe's torture.

Entering the bakery, she was greeted by her parents' loving smiles.

"Morning, darling," smiled Sabine, giving change to the customer who'd just bought a bag of powdered donuts and waving him off with a content smile.

"Morning, Mama, Papa." Marinette somehow mustered up a smile. "Is it okay if I take extra croissants with me to school? My… _friend_ wants to try them and I told her I'd bring some."

"Of course, Marinette. And why don't you take her some of my new toffee and raspberry gateau, if you really want to show of my talents." Her father winked, packing the treats in a paper bag. Marinette grinned weakly and, taking the bag, hurried out of the door before her smile could be replaced by an expression that more fitted her mood.

oOo

"Marinette, I've finished with my piece of paper, now. Come and put it in the bin for me." Chloe ordered loftily. "And sharpen my pencils while you're at it, too. "The students were hard at work, labelling the different geographical features that could be found in a river. The teacher had had to leave momentarily to sort something out with the principal, so Chloe felt perfectly comfortable ordering the bluenette around. Marinette, hearing Chloe's order, froze. This was her first test. She'd already been kind of frosty to Alya this morning, fearing that if they started chatting that the whole thing would come out. She was bursting to tell someone, but knew she couldn't. Marinette took a deep breath and readied herself.

Alya stared as Marinette slowly got up and walked over to Chloe. She poked the back of Nino's and Adrien's head to draw their attention to what was going on, but it wasn't necessary. The entire class watched in shock as feisty, happy, bubbly Marinette picked up the crumpled piece of paper, and put it in the bin that was not 3 feet away from Chloe, not making eye contact with anybody else the entire time. She walked back to Chloe, and picked up the pencils that were laying on the desk, proceeding to file them into points, one by one. Nino and Adrien exchanged looks, mouths agape as Marinette docilely shuffled back to her seat, and sat down, staring at the nearly blank paper in front of her.

Marinette could feel everybody's eyes on her as she sat back down, and knew what they must be thinking of her. Her eyes filled with tears. She _hated_ this. Already Chloe was exerting her power over her, and Marinette knew that these petty commands were to be the tip of the iceberg. Worse was sure to come. But what could she do? One wrong move, and Chloe would send that photo to everyone in Paris, and her life would be ruined. So, she kept her mouth shut.

Eventually, everyone went back to their own work, not missing the satisfied smirk plastered over Chloe's face. Everyone except for Alya, Nino and Adrien, that is. The two boys had turned in their seats as Marinette walked past them to sit back down, gazing at her in shock and confusion as she did the blonde girl's petty bidding. Alya felt that she'd never been more confused in her life, and her mouth hung open in shock. Marinette knew they were watching her, but again, didn't make eye contact. She took a deep breath and continued to label her river, head and eyes resolutely, determinedly down. After a while, the boys looked at Alya for an explanation, but after her blank shrug, they turned back to their sheets. Alya, however, did not.

A couple of minutes later, after Marinette had avoided all her attempts at making eye contact, Alya snapped.

"Girl, what the hell was _that_?" She leaned closer and hissed, knowing full well that the boys in front pricked up their ears in hope for an explanation. The rest of the class did too, and even Chloe sat up, waiting to hear what Marinette was about to say. Would she get the opportunity to reveal her enemy already, or would Marinette alienate herself from her classmates and friends with skin-saving lies? Either way, Chloe knew she would be satisfied, so she leaned back to listen.

"What was what?" Muttered Marinette innocently, still looking down at her geography. Alya grabbed the sheet from under the bluenette's hands, forcing her to look up. "Hey! Give it back, Alya!"

"You know full well what I'm talking about, Marinette." Replied Alya, holding the sheet out of Marinette's reach, so she'd have no excuse not to make eye contact.

Marinette sat back and folded her arms with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I really don't, Alya." She lied coolly. "Now give me back my worksheet."

Disgusted, Alya threw the sheet down on the desk. Adrien and Nino turned round to watch the girls argue, Adrien noticing how pale Marinette had gone, and how her folded arms made her look unbothered, but that she was also trembling from head to foot. He frowned as Alya ranted, knowing something was definitely off.

"You! That's what I'm talking about." Alya exclaimed, not bothering to be quiet anymore.

"I didn't _do_ anything, Alya. Just leave it alone. I did a favour for Chloe, just let it _go_ and give me my sheet back!

"Putting Chloe's rubbish in the bin for her just because she's too lazy to and she told you to do it for her? Sharpening her pencils just because she's worried that if she does it, she'll chip a nail? I'd expect that to be behaviour fitting of a sycophant like Sabrina, not of you, Mari. You call that a _favour?_ That's... petty. That's balls, and you know it, Marinette. What's going on?" Alya cried, confused and slightly upset. She had noticed Marinette blowing her off earlier as she'd tried to strike up a conversation, but seeing the bags under her eyes, had attributed it to her friend's tiredness. But after what had just happened, Alya knew there was something else going on. "What, what, a-are you suddenly Chloe's slave now? Do you have to do all her dirty work for her? Is she forcing you to ignore your friends, too, or are you just feeling bitchy this morning?"

Only Adrien noticed Marinette flinch as Alya hit the nail on the head. Marinette clenched her jaw as she prepared to lie again.

"What, so now it's a crime to be nice to someone? Chloe did me a favour, and now I'm repaying her. Let it go." This was meant to placate Alya, but only seemed to enrage her further.

"Since when has _Chloe_ been deserving of you being nice to her? And what favour did she do you, give you tips on the correct way to brush your hair?"

Marinette couldn't take it anymore. She was about to cry, and knew that if she started sobbing in front of Alya, the whole thing was going to be blurted out, Ladybug and all. She had to end it.

"Right, you listen, Alya." Marinette ordered, standing up. Alya mirrored her, the girls trading glares. "It's none of our business what Chloe did for me, that's between me and her. Furthermore, neither of us have exactly been nice to her in the past, Alya, so I think it's high time you realised what a nice person she actually is. I put Chloe's rubbish in the bin for her because I'm… I'm her friend, and she's mine. Plus, I can't believe you'd have the nerve to begrudge me having other friends! If I want to do something nice for someone, it's not up to you to tell me they don't deserve it. You're not the boss of me, Alya Cesaire, and maybe if you spent less time on that stupid Ladyblog, you'd have more time to spend being a _good friend_. A good friend like Chloe!" As Marinette finished yelling, the girls stood there for a moment, glaring at each other, the classroom silent as everyone sat on tenterhooks.

Marinette looked around at all of her classmates as they stared back at her in awe, then shook her head like she was coming out of a trance. Nobody said anything. The teacher came back in and looked surprised to see the girls standing up, and nobody paying any attention to their river diagrams.

"Alya, Marinette, sit down. I'm not even going to ask what was going on while I was out of the classroom, but I highly suggest that everybody goes back to their work. _Now._ " She ordered sternly, and everyone scrambled to obey, Chloe turning back to the front with a very satisfied smile, one that basically everybody could see.

Alya floundered for words, and after a moment, sagged back in her chair, at a loss. Marinette didn't move, but stayed still, standing with her fists clenched by her sides and her eyes trained on the floor with disbelief at what she had just done. She'd ended the argument, for now, but at what cost? The teacher noticed her standing there.

"Marinette! Sit down and continue with your work!"

Marinette jumped and looked up.

 _Oh my god._

A second passed, and suddenly she grabbed her bag and pencil case, slinging the bag over her shoulder as she dashed towards the door.

 _She had to get out of here._

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, just where do you think you're going?" Cried the teacher, as Marinette yanked open the door, and ran out. This time, only Adrien saw Marinette's face as she passed, and was startled to see her lips pressed together, cheeks reddening as tears began to flow. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she ran past the windows of the classroom that looked onto the hallway, and as the classroom door swung shut behind her, Adrien was certain that he heard a sob.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again so much for reading, following, reviewing, etc, and please leave suggestions! And just so you know, I don't have a Beta, so all of the story (mistakes included) is my own, which is why it might take me longer to update, or certain bits might not make so much sense, etc. But I have a request for you guys: tell me in the reviews, whether you want Chat/Adrien to make the Marinette/Ladybug connection **sooner, (and as Adrien),** or you want it to be **later, (as Chat)** because I'm writing a few chapters in advance and am undecided... So tell me when you want him to make the connection! xx

* * *

The entire class at in a stunned, stationary silence. The teacher blinked at the door that had just slammed behind one of her best-behaved students, and wondered why. She wasn't the only one.

The only person not staring in shock was Chloe, and that was because she was staring in satisfaction. That had been the most entertaining thing she'd witnessed in months, and knowing that she was the cause of the fight made her even happier.

Nino looked back at Alya, where she sat, aghast. And also completely clueless. She mouthed wordlessly, not knowing what to say or do.

The class remained frozen for another few seconds, until the teacher managed to tear her gaze away from the door to address the class.

"Well. I'm not going to ask you what just happened, and I expect you all to manage to keep the incident _out of your heads_ for the next" (she checked her watch) "thirty-five minutes, when the lesson ends. I hope you've all managed to make at least _some_ headway on your diagrams, and I- just where do you think you're going, Mr Agreste?" The teacher broke off, for Adrien was scooping up his belongings with every intention of heading after his friend.

He hesitated, knowing that that wasn't going to get him out of the class.

"Oh, um…" He panicked and thought wildly. "Did you-err- not get the message? I've got a photoshoot. I have to be out front in five minutes, sooo…" He lied brashly.

The teacher didn't seem convinced. Usually Gabriel's assistant Nathalie was very good at remembering to send in reminders, so as she didn't have one she was quite dubious of the boy's excuse. But she was also too tired and highly-strung to care.

"Fine! Fine," she sighed, slumping down behind her desk in her not-comfortable-enough chair. "Just go, Adrien."

Adrien nodded gratefully and hurried out of the classroom in the direction he'd seen Marinette head.

The teacher turned back to the still-silent class.

"But he's the last one! Everybody, and I mean _everybody,_ complete your diagrams. And no talking, please." She sighed, sipping some water and taking some Ibuprofen for the headache she could feel coming on. _I hate teaching._

oOo

Adrien ran through the school, not knowing where to go. He hadn't been thinking when he let the classroom, he'd just known that his friend was hurting and he didn't like it. He, like everyone else, was completely baffled by what had just transpired, but had a hunch (okay, it was slightly more than a hunch) that whatever it was, it had to do with Chloe.

He'd noticed the way Marinette had walked stiffly, and held herself oddly when she'd done Chloe's bidding, like she didn't want to be doing it. That ruled out her claim that she was repaying a favour as a lie, and Marinette _never_ lied. Not to his knowledge, anyway. Something was 100%, definitely wrong. Alya had been too caught up in the argument, as one of the participants, to notice Marinette's shaking voice, pale face, and tear-filled eyes, but Adrien had been watching closely, as well as when she'd run from the room. There was more to this than Marinette (or Chloe, for that matter) had let on.

He had no idea what the Bourgeois girl had done to Marinette, but hadn't missed the smirk she gave as Marinette acted as her slave, or the satisfaction on her face as Marinette yelled at her best friend and run from the room. A pit of hatred for Chloe boiled in Adrien's stomach as he searched, vowing to get to the bottom of this.

A whimper alerted him to someone's presence as he jogged past an empty classroom. He backtracked, and peered through the gap between the door and the wall to see Mari crouched by the wall opposite, head on her knees and sobbing as if she thought her heart would burst. Adrien couldn't take it, and moved to open the door and step inside.

"M-Marinette?" He announced his presence nervously.

The bluenette jumped, and upon seeing Adrien standing nervously in the doorway, gave a gasp and scrambled to get up and leave, again, Chloe's last command echoing in her head. She wasn't allowed to have anything to do with Adrien, and being alone in an empty classroom with him definitely came under the category of 'Anything'.

He came further into the room as he saw her preparing to run, again. He put his hands out in front of him, walking slowly like he was trying not to scare a wild animal.

"Marinette? What's going on?" He questioned gently.

Marinette avoided his eyes. Normally, she would have been ecstatic that he'd come after her to see whether she was alright, and normally, she would have relished the idea of finally being alone with him. But she couldn't run the risk of Chloe finding out.

"Leave me alone, Adrien." She sniffed, trying to make her way past him to the open door. She didn't look up, not wanting to make eye contact, and so didn't see him reaching out to grab her arm as she went past.

"No. Tell me what's wrong, Mari." Adrien said, holding her in place with a soft touch. Her head jerked away from him like she couldn't bear to be anywhere near him, and he knew that she was going to make a run for it. He tightened his grip.

"No…no." Mari breathed, trying to shake him off. "Let me go, I need… I have to…"

Adrien pulled her around so he was directly in between her and the door. He tilted her chin up with a gentle hand, but she jerked her face away, like she was stung. "Not until you tell me what's wrong, Marinette. You're my friend, and I can tell you're hurting, okay? I care about you, and I want you to tell me what's wrong."

Marinette met his eyes miserably, and opened her mouth like she was about to say something. She seemed to fish around for something to say, and Adrien felt encouraged. He'd gotten through to her. But suddenly, her mouth snapped and the tear tracks on her face glinted in the light coming through the open doorway as she seemed to change her mind about talking to him.

"No. Leave me alone." She whispered, wrenching her arms out of his grasp and darting around him to run through the open doorway.

Frustrated, Adrien ran after her as she headed towards the main exit of the school. She ran down the front-of-school steps, and he managed to catch up with her again as she got to the bottom. He panted as he ran in front of her, blocking her way. _God, she was fast._

"Leave me _alone,_ Adrien! I- You- _get_ _out of my way!"_ Marinette yelled as he blocked her every attempt to pass him, his Chat Noir agility coming in useful.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong, Marinette! You can't just do something like that in front of everyone, and- and not expect anyone to do anything about it!" He cried, frustrated at how useless he felt. So far, he'd only seemed to upset her further, as her attempts to run away from him only intensified.

Suddenly, she stopped moving. She stepped back from him, and drew herself up to her (admittedly not very intimidating) full height. An odd expression came over her face. It looked… guarded. Like she was about to do something she didn't want to, and was trying to alienate herself from any feelings that may come her way as a result. Adrien readied himself warily for the onslaught, as they stood in the Parisian sunshine.

"Why would you care?" Marinette asked, her voice cold, but Adrien could hear the shake in it. He could also see the pain she'd tried to hide from her face, so he resolved not to listen to anything she was about to say. "You, Adrien Agreste, are sooo concerned with being a little daddy's boy, too much so to care about anyone else. You spend your days on a bloody pedestal, the famous boy model with the tragic homelife, toying with every girl's affections like the spoiled little rich boy you are. Then you act all nice and sweet, and expect me to believe you when you say you care about me. Well… I think you're _pathetic._ Go back to school, pretty boy, because I don't want you here."

Adrien was sure Marinette didn't mean the things she was saying, they were meaningless words to try and get him out of her way, but that didn't mean they didn't sting. He recoiled slightly, but saw the flash of remorse happen across the girl's face, and pressed on.

"I don't care Marinette. You need a friend right now, and whether or not you count me as one, I am your friend."

oOo

Marinette was staring to panic.

Adrien wasn't leaving, and Chloe could definitely see the front of school from her seat in the classroom. She couldn't give Chloe an excuse to post that photo, and standing here , looking like she was having a chat with Adrien was an excuse. She was running out of options for ways to get rid of him, and running out of strength to stop herself from having a breakdown, here and now.

Her eyes welled up as she stared at the boy she loved, her heart fluttering as he gazed back at her, concern etched across his handsome face, and swallowed. She looked down at her feet, and whispered the next part so quietly he had to lean in to hear it. She seemed to crumple as she spoke, making him want to put his arms around her.

"Please...if you're truly my friend, Adrien, if you truly want to help me… you'll understand that I have to get out of here. If you _do_ care for me... you'll let me go. You'll get out of my way."

Adrien looked at the top of Marinette's head as she focused on the floor. He _was_ truly her friend, and needed to help her. And this was what she wanted. He resisted the urge to hold her, to make everything okay, but knew that wasn't what she wanted right now. It may have been what she needed, but he had to prove that he was her friend. He had to do as she said.

His stomach coiling in compassion and defeat, he looked up, away from the broken girl in front of him, and slowly, reluctantly, _finally,_ moved stepped out of her way. After a second, during which he heard her exhale quietly in miserable relief, she ran past him, and he had to stop himself from turning to watch her go.


	5. Chapter 5

Once again, thanks to everyone who's reading, following, etc! I'm so excited to keep writing and hearing your responses! I've managed to find myself a beta, and thanks to the votes on my poll from the last chapter, I've made a decision as to the (eventual) moment where Chat/Adrien makes the connection. Thank you so much to everybody who responded, you guys are AWESOME! And all the positive reviews never fail to make me smile and feel all happy and gooey inside :D But enough from me for now, I'd best let you get on to the story! xx

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Fuming.

That was the word to describe Alya as she paced around the classroom, Nino watching on warily.

But she wasn't fuming at Marinette, as one might have expected. Despite the horrible things her friend had said to her half an hour ago, she didn't believe them for a second. Marinette was Chloe's least favourite person, and vice versa. No _way_ was Marinette willingly Chloe's personal servant, and no _way_ was Alya going to let this go.

The bell had rung at the end of the class, and immediately a roar of chatter had consumed the students, as they discussed the events of the lesson. Alya and Nino (neither of whom had managed to get very much work done) stayed in their seats as everyone else left to go to lunch, and the teacher had left them there as she shuffled out, muttering irritably.

The second the door had shut behind their tired and overworked teacher, Alya had exploded, and it had taken Nino about ten minutes to get her to stop shouting profanities about Chloe for long enough for them to hold a discussion.

"No _way_ do I believe that Chloe did Marinette a favour. I mean, really? _Chloe?_ When has Chloe Bourgeois ever done anything for someone other than herself?" Alya repeated now for the sixth time, arms crossed as she strode across the room, filled with raging energy.

"I know, Alya. You have mentioned that particular viewpoint before, you know." Sighed Nino. He was concerned about his friend, too. It had distressed him to see both Marinette and Alya so upset, distressed him more than he'd let on. "Ugh. What's taking Adrien so long? Do you reckon he found her?"

Alya stopped and threw her hands up in the air.

"I don't know. _I don't know!"_ She cried. "It's just so unbelievable! Marinette _never_ lies to me, and she _hates_ Chloe. I… I just have no clue what's going through that girl's head."

Exhausted, she slumped down into the nearest seat, covering her eyes with a tired hand.

"Well, I do." Sighed a tired voice from the doorway. The other two looked up to see Adrien shutting the door behind him, having hidden in the boy's restroom for the remainder of the lesson to keep up his photoshoot façade.

"Adrien! Did you catch her?" Cried Alya, leaping forwards to look at the blond boy. "What happened? Did she tell you what was going on?"

"Easy, Alya, give the boy some space." Said Nino, yanking the excited girl away from Adrien and pulling her down into a seat, before turning to Adrien himself. "Well?"

Adrien slumped into the seat opposite them.

"I found her." Seeing the hopeful looks on his friends' faces as he spoke, he rushed to finish. "But you're not going to like what she said."

"Just tell us what happened, already, dude!" Shouted Alya in frustration. Her best friend was hurting, and she had no idea why, or where she now was. She was going to _kill_ Chloe.

"Well, I saw her in one of the maths classrooms, crying. I tried to get her to talk to me, and for a moment it looked like she was going to tell me what was going on, but then she stopped and ran away. It was weird… like she wanted to talk to me but… wasn't allowed. Then… she ran out of school and I caught up to her on the steps and tried again to get her to talk, but she sort of closed herself off. Like she didn't want to think about what she was about to say."

"Well, what did she say?" Pressed Nino, impatiently. Adrien sighed.

"All this stuff… about me not really being her friend. Apparently I'm a spoiled little rich boy who toys with girls' emotions." Alya gasped, and he hurriedly continued: "I could tell she didn't mean any of it, though. The whole time she was looking really upset, and when I felt a bit hurt by what she'd said, she saw and looked really guilty. I guess Marinette just said those things so I'd get out of her way, but I didn't. I told her I was her friend whether she wanted me to be, or not. Then she sort of looked away, and said that if I was really her friend… I'd let her go. And then… then I did."

There was silence for a moment.

"What the hell, man." Nino said weakly. "This is some messed-up crap right here." Adrien nodded in silent agreement.

"Poor Marinette." Sighed Alya miserably. Again, there was a short silence, nobody knowing what next to say.

"Do you agree, then?" Adrien asked, wanting someone to agree, to calm him. The other two looked at him, confused. "Do you also think that she didn't mean those things she said? Does she actually hate me that much or was it just an act to get me to leave her alone?" he felt petty for worrying about that, of all things, but it had been bothering him. Was that why Marinette always avoided him? Did she hate him?

Instead of an immediate answer, he saw Alya and Nino share a dark look. His stomach fell.

"Oh god, she really does hate me. Why? What did I do? I've ne-" he was cut off from his panic by Alya.

"No, no, no! Adrien, calm down." The blond stopped yelling and looked at her.

"Well, if she doesn't hate me, then what was that _look_ you two just shared all about, huh?"

Alya gave Nino a rueful smile and he decided it was time.

"She loves you, bro."

"She- I… what?" Adrien was at a loss for words.

"She's been totally in love with you for years, Adrien." Alya repeated, watching the confusion play across his face. "I was just thinking that Marinette must _really_ be upset for her to say those horrible things to you. She must really have needed for you to get out of her way for her to say stuff like that to you."

Nino nodded his agreement as they watched Adrien process.

His initial reaction was confusion, obviously. _Marinette? In love… with him? So that was why she always seemed to fall over when he smiled at her, that was why she never managed to hold a conversation with him without stammering._ Then, confusion turned to relief. _She doesn't hate me, she doesn't hate me…_ And finally, relief turned to worry. He agreed with Alya and Nino. For Marinette to have said those awful things to someone she loved, she must really have been in a dilemma.

"Um… wow." He managed to choke out. "That… okay, well… that's new." He smiled weakly.

"Do you like her back?" Asked Alya, eagerly, only to receive an elbow to the ribs from Nino. She glared at him for a second, before shaking her head. "Right, no, not important."

Adrien begged to differ, but he had too much else going on in his head to really get into that right now.

"Adrien, when you came in, you said you thought you knew what was going on in Marinette's head. What do you mean?" Nino asked, bringing everyone back to the problem at hand.

Adrien nodded and sat up. He'd mulled it over during his hide in the bathroom, and had managed to come to a conclusion.

"Blackmail." He announced, and saw his friends' faces darken at the word.

"What- you mean from Chloe?" Asked Alya. Adrien nodded.

"She must have something over Mari. She must know something, one of her secrets. She must be making Mari do all this stuff for her, and if she doesn't, then she'll have threatened to tell everyone. It's the only thing I could come up with."

"Makes sense," murmured Nino, "Marinette _really_ didn't look like she wanted to be doing all that stuff for Chloe. I guess she said all those things to you and Alya because she was afraid she'd let the cat out of the bag herself if she didn't … sorta _distance_ herself from the problem, y'know?"

The others nodded.

"What could it be, though?" Alya wondered aloud.

"Well, I was thinking it could have been that Chloe knew about one of Marinette's crushes, but…" Adrien trailed off.

Alya shook her head. "Mari's far too sensible to let Chloe hold that over her head. I mean, sure, she never exactly wanted everybody to know about her and how she felt about you, but she wasn't embarrassed enough to do… _this._ " The others agreed. "Plus, why would she have said that stuff to me if it was about Adrien? I've known since the start, she wouldn't have to worry about keeping it a secret from me. No, it must be something else."

Again, the others nodded.

Then, Adrien voiced what they were all thinking.

"Well, what are we going to do about it? Clearly, she _really_ doesn't want anyone to know, so how are we going to show her our support if she's too scared to talk to us? And I also have a feeling that Chloe's going to be watching Mari pretty closely. She's probably got a rule that Mari's not allowed to talk to any of us, too. Unless she's saying how pretty she is, of course."

Alya and Nino looked at him, worriedly, privately agreeing.

This was going to be a difficult one.


	6. Chapter 6

The wind whipped at Ladybug's ponytails as she sat on the edge of the building that had become her and Chat's meeting place. The night air was cold, bitingly so, but the pain as it knifed her bare skin was a welcome distraction from the pain of the day's events.

All those horrible things she'd said to Alya, _to her best friend_ , reverberated round the inside of her skull, banging out a rhythm on her cranium. She couldn't believe how awful she'd been. She'd run away from Adrien, tears running down her face once more, but knowing she couldn't go home to her parents in this state. She'd resigned herself to aimlessly wandering the streets of Paris for a few hours, before stopping the tears long enough to say an unenthusiastic 'Hello' to her mother and father. She then retreated upstairs, feigning fatigue, and now was waiting for Chat for their previously arranged patrol.

She covered her face with her hands and groaned at the situation she'd gotten herself into. How had this happened? Her life had been turned upside-down in less than twenty four hours. Thanks a lot, Chloe.

Ladybug's eyes filled with tears of remorse as she recalled the look that had flashed across Adrien's face as she belittled and lied to him. _Now he would **never** love her... _ How could he, after all those awful things she'd said? And poor, poor Alya... She hadn't meant a single word, but that knowledge did nothing to assuage the guilt and loneliness curdling in her stomach. Tears seeped out of her mask and dripped down her cold, pale face as she waited for the sun to finish for the day.

Chat skidded onto the roof behind Ladybug, making quite the noisy entrance. He hoped she hadn't seen him being so graceless, and was relieved when he saw she was turned around, facing the sunset. He walked over to sit next to her, marvelling at how just seeing her had made his day a better one.

"Well, Bugaboo," he began confidently, "I must say you're looking incredibly- _upset_ this evening!" He broke off in the middle of his compliment when he noticed her eyes were red-rimmed, and not just due to her mask. In shock, his usual confidence went out the window and his filter disappeared. The fact that commenting on her appearance in this way might be rude didn't compute. He saw his lady was upset, and that was all that mattered. "M'Lady, what's wrong? What's happened? _Talk to me, Ladybug!"_ Chat cried, growing panicked when she didn't respond immediately. He took her shoulders in his paws and turned her towards him, making her meet his gaze. He realised for the first time how tired she looked, and the panic inside him grew until he started to sweat.

Ladybug looked like she didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth, trying to say something to reassure her terrified kitty, but nothing came out. _How could she tell him?_ _How could she tell him that her own carelessness had put them both in danger?_ Her eyes filled with tears again, and she looked away.

Chat couldn't stand the inches of distance between him and his hurting Ladybug, so he pulled her towards him until his strong arms were wrapped around her tiny frame. She let out a soft sob that did nothing to assuage his fear, but he nuzzled her hair with his face and tried to comfort her. Ladybug rested her hands on his strong chest as she tried to pull herself together, for Chat's sake, but after the day she'd had, a hug was what she really needed. She knew she was scaring him, but he was so strong and comforting it was hard to draw away, even to calm him down. She felt him stroking her hair and her sobs subsided, tears slowing as her kitty was there for her, like he always was. And that thought was what finally made her sit back up, ready to tell him.

Chat looked concernedly into her glowing blue eyes as she pulled away, his body mourning the loss of contact even as it ended. He waited in fear for her to speak, but took her hands in his, seeming to know that human contact was what she needed.

Ladybug steadied herself.

"Chat, something's happened." She began, not knowing how to segway into the reveal.

Chat let out a very un-Chatlike snort.

"Well, even I got that much. Ladybug, please just tell me what's wrong. I won't get mad, if that's what you're worried about. You know I'm here for you, no matter what."

"I do know that, kitty. Of course I do. And that's what makes this all so much worse."

Chat's eyes widened, and he suddenly wasn't sure he wanted Ladybug to continue speaking, as he imagined all the possible things that could come out of her mouth. He stiffened with fear, and readied himself.

"Chat… someone knows." Ladybug whispered.

"Knows? Knows what?" He asked, hardly daring to breathe. God, would this horrible day never end?

"Me. Ladybug. Who I am, under the mask. I'm so sorry, I didn't have time to make sure I was alone before I de-transformed last, and by the time I spotted them, it was too late. Someone took a photo while I was de-transforming, and they threatened to send it to everyone in Paris if I didn't do exactly as they asked. Chat, I'm so sorry! I've put you and everyone I care about in danger, and…" she trailed off seeing him begin to process her words.

There was a long silence as Chat went through a range of emotions. First, strangely enough, there was relief. She didn't have a terminal illness, her family hadn't died, she hadn't run over a baby with a motorcycle… He was glad none of the things he'd imagined she might say were true, but then, bizarrely, the jealousy kicked in. Someone, some stranger, knew Ladybug under the mask, and he didn't. Someone else, presumably who knew Ladybug in her civilian life, knew the most important secret in her life, when she wouldn't even divulge it to _him_. Chat then forgot his selfishness as the worry took place.

Ladybug watched the expressions cross his face, and felt a knot of fear in her stomach. Her precious kitty, her amazing partner and best friend, was in danger because of her negligence. Because of her, and Chloe Bourgeois.

"Chat, I'm so sorry. I know I've put you in danger because of this, and I'm so, so sorry. I'm doing everything I can to try and make sure this stays a secret, but I don't know how long… uh… _they_ can keep their mouth shut." She wasn't sure how to address Chloe, so as not to give anything away. The last thing she wanted was Chat figuring out who'd uncovered her, and going after them. That certainly _wouldn't_ be helpful, but she also didn't put it past him. His protectiveness often verged on the ridiculous.

"My Lady, please understand that this changes nothing for me. Not how I feel about you, not how I'll treat you… _nothing_." Chat told her, his voice as serious as she'd ever heard it. "I also don't care that my life and/or identity are in danger, all I'm concerned about right now, is the fact you said you were _threatened?_ "

Ladybug inwardly groaned. Of _course_ that was what Chat would focus on. He was far too selfless for his own good.

"Ladybug, what did they make you do?"

Ladybug knew she'd have to lie. But also, she knew that she didn't want to. She hated lying, which made her life as a secret superhero very difficult. The amount of fibs she'd told already that day alone was outstanding, so she decided to omit parts of the truth, and to lie as little as possible.

"Don't worry, kitty, please. It's not really so bad, it just means… I'll have a little more work to do in both my civilian and superhero life. I might be a bit tired every now and then, but it's a price I'm willing to pay if it means you'll be safe."

Chat nodded, though he was unsatisfied by her answer. He wanted to find whoever it was, force them to delete the photo, and probably throw them into the Seine for good measure, but he knew Ladybug wouldn't allow it. He looked back at her concerned eyes, once more glistening with tears and felt another wave of protectiveness.

"Forgive me, My Lady," he said carefully, "I know this is not an ideal or enjoyable situation, but it also doesn't seem to warrant the reaction I received when I asked you what was wrong? So… is anything else the matter?"

"The… the one who took the photo knows me in real life, and… they're not my biggest fan. Um… they're kind of making my life a bit difficult, and… I didn't have the best day. That's all." _That's all I'm going to divulge, anyway,_ she added inwardly, feeling she'd given away enough.

Chat Noir frowned, then pulled her in for another hug, resting one hand on the back of her head, while the other rubbed soothing circles over her back. First Marinette, now Ladybug… he hated bullies, and he suddenly was having to deal with the aftermath of what seemed like an epidemic of them.

"I know the feeling." He sighed, remembering his less-than-pleasant day. "But, Ladybug, remember that no matter what, no matter who you turn out to be under that spotted mask of yours, I will _always_ be here for you. I'm truly your friend."

His words made Ladybug recall her conversation with Adrien, and she started welling up. Chat seemed to sense this, and tightened his hug, though in fact it was just because his own words reminded him of _his_ conversation with Marinette, and he was imagining he was hugging _her_ instead of Ladybug, offering her condolences and comfort. Little did he know, he was actually doing just that.

The pair remained in the embrace for a few minutes until Ladybug drew away, wiping her eyes with gloved hands and managing a wan smile.

"It's not all bad, kitty-cat. I'll be okay, I just hope Hawk-Moth lets up on the akumas for a while, huh? Lets me get my beauty sleep, and all."

Chat grinned back at her, and helped her up. "Not that you need it, of course. But, to take our minds off it, let's go for a run, shall we m'Lady?" He offered.

"Sure. But Chat, first, I want you to promise me something." She rested her hand on his arm as he looked at her in surprise.

"Of course, my Lady. Anything."

"Promise me you'll be careful. With my secret identity hanging in the balance, I could never forgive myself if something were to expose you too, because of it. It could put a lot of people in danger if either of us were to be revealed, and I couldn't live with myself if you were hurt because of me. We need to be extra careful to keep our identities safe- even from each other. Please Chat. Promise me." She pleaded, trying to convey to him how concerned she was for her feline partner's safety.

Chat pulled her towards him, placing a light kiss on the top of her head, and for the first time, she didn't pull away.

"I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

Time for a time jump, and almost certainly some Adrinette feels... This was one of the most challenging chapters to write so far, as I kept making Adrien curse then remembered I'm trying to keep this PG... but if you don't already love the boy and his protectiveness, I'm fairly certain you will after this one (and the next one, but we'll come to that later. :D) Enjoy! xx

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The last six weeks had been the worst of Marinette's life. The dark bags under her eyes were as prominent as they'd ever been, and her clothes were hanging off her almost scarily-thin frame.

She'd attended two all-night parties, and one awful picnic as Ladybug, staying glued to Chloe the entire time, and gushing to all of Chloe's friends about how amazing she was, and how she was training her to be her new protegeé. Fortunately, she'd managed to persuade Chloe not to publish any photos of the event online with her in them, because Chat knew how she detested Chloe and might wonder what she was doing there. Then he'd put together the pieces, and Mari was sure Chloe's body would be found at the bottom of the Seine or something like that. She'd designed and made countless dresses for the vile girl, at her command, and had spent far longer than she'd ever wanted to in Chloe's bathroom, scrubbing behind her toilet then polishing all of her shoes until they were practically mirrors. The double homework was starting to pile up, too. Things like maths and physics weren't too much work, she just had to copy out the answers (being careful to make mistakes in different places so the teacher didn't get too suspicious), but things like Literature and history were a nightmare. She had to do every assignment twice, coming up with two different essay ideas, then doing all the research, planning and writing differently each time. The same went for design, where she had had to come up with and make two different 3-piece suits, and two different decorative belled top hats.

Her friends had decided not to butt in, but she could tell they were secretly on her side. She'd worried for days that Alya and Adrien hated her, but had seen the secret smiles and encouraging expressions they and Nino had given her when Chloe wasn't looking, and was grateful.

The three had decided between themselves that they weren't going to be too 'in-your-face' about their support, as it might have given Chloe the excuse she'd been waiting for to reveal Marinette's secret, but had also resolved to do as much as they could to make it easier on Marinette.

One day when Marinette had forgotten Chloe's lunch and had to give over her own croissant, Adrien had discreetly dropped his own sandwiches and chocolate bar on her lap as he passed. When Marinette had fallen asleep before finishing up copying her physics homework from Chloe's sheet the previous night, Alya had placed her own answers right in the middle of the desk so Mari could frantically scribble them down before the teacher collected them in, as Marinette had had to give Chloe the completed sheet. Nino had found Marinette asleep in the library after school one day and, seeing the notes for the research she planned to do for her own history essay, had printed out all the information she needed and set it, along with an essay outline, next to her sleeping head.

They'd also resolved not to confront Mari about it. Knowing how desperately she must have needed the secret to _stay_ secret, they decided that pressuring her further would be counter-productive. Staying silent but supportive on the sidelines seemed to be the best course of action, and they'd taken every opportunity to try and help Mari through the past six weeks. It hadn't been easy, as they watched her pale face grow weary, the bags under her eyes grow darker, and they could see how thin she was getting. But they didn't know what else to do.

Nobody did.

Her parents and teachers attributed her appearance to fatigue, and her unusual sullenness and solitude to normal, hormonal teenage behaviour. Until today, that is.

Marinette had been finding it progressively harder and harder to drag herself out of bed, and today was the worst day of all. She'd got home after school yesterday and crashed immediately, though she'd only slept for an hour before an akuma attack had forced her to roam the city until the late evening, trying to capture it. Eventually she had (with Chat's help, of course), but she'd had to dash home to join her parents for dinner immediately afterwards. It wasn't until late that night when she'd finally managed to make a start on her (and Chloe's) mountainous pile of homework. In the wee hours of the morning, wanting to do nothing more than collapse on her bed and fall asleep, she'd had to finish sewing buttons onto the jacket Chloe had commissioned, and in the end, she'd gotten about an hour and a half of sleep.

Tikki watched nervously as Marinette shuffled around her room, lethargically dressing herself in yesterday's crumpled clothes (being too tired to find a new outfit).

"Marinette, I really think you should take the day off school. You need to relax!" The kwami advised worriedly. "You've barely slept for the last six weeks, and you're going to make yourself ill if you carry on like this."

Marinette shook her head, and yawned.

"I can't Tikki, you know I can't. I need to give Chloe her maths and literature assignments, and they're due in today. We've got tests coming up, too, and I can't afford to miss any lessons." She pulled on her jumper while she talked, only noticing halfway through her speech that it was inside out, and backwards. She shook it off, flipped it over and grabbed her bag. "You can stay home if you want, though. If you're tired it'll be a good chance for you to relax, okay?"

The kwami looked like she was about to protest, but Marinette swooped over and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Just stay out of trouble, m'kay? See you later!"

oOo

"Marinette, I won't tell you again! Pay attention!" Cried Mme. Mendeliev. Marinette had been dropping off, as usual, and the teacher was getting fed up.

Alya, Adrien and Nino shot their friend a worried look as she tried to sit up straight. She looked alarmingly haggard, and they didn't miss the way her eyes were glazed over. They saw her hands shaking and shared a look. It was getting worse.

Mme. Mendeliev shook her head, and turned back to the physics lesson, aggravated at Marinette's apparent apathy.

"So, as gamma particles have a penetration power of-" she began, only to be cut off by another teacher entering the classroom.

"Sorry, Madame Mendeliev, I hate to interrupt, but Monsieur Damocles has requested to see two of your students in his office, uh, effective immediately."

Affronted at being interrupted during her beloved physics again, Mme. Mendeliev sighed.

"Very well… who does he need to see?"

The other teacher looked down at his list.

"Uh… Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and one Chloe Bourgeois. If they could make their way to his office now, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time, Madame."

Marinette stood up, fear curdling uncomfortably in her stomach. She saw her friends around her sharing worried looks, and heard Chloe's huff of irritation as they made their way towards the door.

oOo

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson and the start of lunch, and Marinette's friends immediately picked up their things in preparation to run over to eavesdrop on Mr Damocles' conversation with the girls. As they reached the door with the rest of the agitated class, however, Mme. Mendeliev called out.

"Alya, Juleka, Ivan, Rose and Nino, I need to talk to you all about your last assignment. Please come see me, _now._ "

Adrien looked at the other two, knowing that they also wanted to hear what Mr Damocles was saying. He hesitated.

"You go." Whispered Alya, pushing him towards the door.

"But tell us everything." Added Nino, as they rushed away to see the teacher.

Adrien nodded and dashed off.

He made his way to Mr Damocles' office, glad that the rest of the school seemed to be leaving the premises for their lunch break. The girls had left the lesson only ten minutes from the end, so he was unsurprised when he heard Chloe's unpleasantly shrill voice emanating from within.

"I'm telling you, sir! My work is _all_ my own, and my daddy, the _mayor_ , will not be happy to hear that his daughter has been accused of cheating."

Mr Damocles' sigh was clearly heard by the blond who was pressing his ear up against the door of the room, unbeknownst to the occupants.

"I understand this is an unpleasant situation, Miss Bourgeois, but as a head teacher, I have to look at the facts. Over the past six weeks, your grades have gone up incredibly well. Of course, the school would ordinarily be thrilled with this, but as it's only your homework that has improved, we're taking it with a pinch of salt. Couple that with the fact that Miss Dupain-Cheng's grades have decreased alarmingly and several of her teachers have remarked how tired and quiet she seems to be, and surely you can understand how this looks like you may be making her do your work for you."

"How _dare_ you!" Screeched Chloe, Adrien's ears ringing even from outside. "Never have I been more _insulted_! The fact that you'd think I'd take advantage of one of my own _dear friends_ , is too much to handle! I can't believe- how could you- I'm just so…" Chloe dissolved into squeaky sobs, and Adrien had to stop himself from storming in and demanding she tell the truth. _Dear friends, my ass._

"Mr Damocles, sir," began Marinette's voice quietly from inside, and Adrien pricked up his ears. "I understand how this looks, but Chloe has never forced me to do anything like this for her, and I wouldn't expect her to." Adrien could practically hear Marinette almost choking as she forced out the lies in self-preservation, and his throat tightened in anger and protectiveness. "I know my grades have gone downhill… but that has nothing to do with Chloe. I've… um… had stuff to do at home and have been feeling quite tired lately. I… I promise I'll try to do better."

Mr Damocles sighed again.

"Well, as you both deny that anything is happening between the two of you, there is nothing I can do as a faculty member to stop it. You both need to know that I have my suspicions, but as they're not backed up with evidence or testimony…" ( _I'll give you testimony!_ Thought Adrien, furiously) "you are both free to go. And Miss Dupain-Cheng, please accept that if your grades do not improve, the school will have to take remedial action."

"Yes, sir." Whispered Marinette, and Adrien backed away from the door as he heard the two girls making their way towards the hallway. He ran around the corner as the girls exited the classroom, but stayed nearby but hidden so he could see and hear what happened next.

"You need to be more careful!" Whisper-shouted Chloe, jabbing a pointy-nailed finger into Marinette's chest. The bluenette recoiled in fear, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. "Try and be more convincing, too! ' _I've been really tired, I had stuff to do…'_ Please! I'd think _you_ of all people would be good at lying…"

"Chloe, please! Shhh!" Whispered Marinette frantically, and Adrien knew Chloe had been referencing her secret. His curiosity and sympathy peaked as he saw the panic cross her face as Chloe ranted.

"Don't you go telling me to _shhh!_ Remember, I _own_ you, and right now, I've half a mind to just send this photo to everyone and be done with it." So the secret was in a photo, thought Adrien, watching carefully as the loathsome blonde waved her phone threateningly in front of Marinette's face. "Your carelessness with that homework business has cost me my lunchtime, and I was going to spend it with my dear Adrikins! Just you remember that, the next time you're doing my Chemistry, and _be more careful!"_ With that, Chloe flounced away, presumably off to try and find her 'Adrikins'.

Marinette didn't move until Chloe was out of sight, and when she did, it was to cover her face with her hands and sob. Adrien's heart broke as he watched her crumbling, falling apart. He straightened up and came out of his hiding place, once more approaching his weeping friend like he was afraid she'd run away.

As he came nearer, Marinette straightened and wiped away her tears, not yet seeing him. She looked at the ground to collect herself, then turned- and spotted Adrien. She froze, and he stilled as well.

The silence lengthened, and suddenly Adrien couldn't take it anymore.

"Marinette, please talk to me. _What's going_ -" he broke off as she started walking briskly towards him, breaking eye contact and staring past him with a blank expression on her face, unreadable. He reached out to touch her arm, her shoulder, anything to comfort her at all, but she shied away from his gentle touch, and shoulder barged him slightly as she pushed past him in the narrow corridor. As her figure retreated, Adrien miserably let his hand fall, feeling utterly useless as he stood there, watching her go.

"… _on_."


	8. Chapter 8

**Trigger warning!:** _This chapter contains a mention and description of blood and some violence_ (and some quite severe feels). I don't think it's anything _too_ graphic, but one can't be too careful. I hope it won't deter anyone from enjoying the stuff that follows... I'm so excited for you guys to read this one, I worked really hard on it and it's probably one of my faves. It's also the longest chapter so far by a long way, which I know will make some of you happy- but be prepared to be put through the emotional wringer xx

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The city was dark and silent, and there wasn't anybody around to see the lithe, black-clad body leaping from roof to roof. After Adrien's disastrous day, he'd have liked little more than to roam the city for a few hours with Ladybug (who seemed to need more and more cheering up, these days) but she wasn't answering his calls, despite the fact he'd sent her about twenty. He'd eventually resigned himself to roaming alone, and despite his solitude, the feeling of the wind in his eyes and hair and the beauty of the muted night were enough to cheer him up, just a little.

Chat came to a halt on top of the town hall, panting his lungs out. His muscles on fire, but mind at peace, he settled down with his legs dangling off the roof to watch the stars and think the day over.

His attempts to get Mari to talk to him hadn't gone well.

Surprisingly, she had come back to school after lunch, but he, Nino and Alya hadn't heard her make a single sound the entire time. Chloe had been sending her inscrutable looks (somewhere between venomous and satisfied) as the two of them had been scolded for their less-than-acceptable essays in literature, and again, Adrien had had to hold himself back from jumping up to defend his terrifyingly melancholy friend.

Now, with the strong wind mussing up his blond locks and making his emerald eyes water, he thought about how he felt towards Marinette properly. He'd never really allowed himself to contemplate his (romantic?) feelings towards her since Alya and Nino told him about Marinette's, but now he couldn't get the subject off his mind.

He knew that his heart belonged with fervour to Ladybug, but especially today, he'd noticed a tugging in his heartstrings whenever he saw or thought of Marinette's thin, white face. Adrien couldn't forget the feeling he'd got when he'd seen her having a breakdown outside Mr Damocles' office- a mixture of second-hand pain, anger, compassion and something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He'd wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to protect her from the pain she was feeling. While she'd walked away from him, he'd felt defeated, useless. Sitting in front of her that afternoon, he'd known that the whole charade between her and Chloe couldn't last for too much longer. Someone was going to crack- be it him, Alya, Nino or Marinette or Chloe themselves.

But how did he feel about her? Did he like her back? Chat considered the question. She was pretty, no doubt about it. Her eyes were as beautifully azure blue as Ladybug's, though they sparkled not with power but a different kind of kindness and a hint of shyness. Her hair- always tied in those endearing little bunches so like Ladybug's- was so black it was blue, and he'd occasionally found himself getting lost in the way the Parisian sunshine glinted off it as she shook her head and laughed with Alya. Her skin was clear and had a flawlessly porcelain look about it. Her features were delicate and dainty, her figure slim but curvy where it was meant to be.

As for her personality... in his book, it was basically faultless. She was kind, brave, selfless, strong; all the best bits about Ladybug, but with less of the distance, the unattainability. Loving, caring friendliness were what made Marinette _Marinette._ He admired her greatly, especially the way she'd never bowed down to Chloe's tyranny when it was someone else's happiness on the line.

Chat clenched his jaw.

 _Chloe._

He'd found himself liking the girl less and less over the last couple of years. She'd been the only person at school he'd known when he arrived and had consequently spent more time with her than anyone else. However, he'd found his dislike for the girl growing as he got to know her better. He'd _thankfully_ swiftly found friends in Nino and Alya, and a mystery in Marinette and her jumpy behaviour around him. But now that skittish, playful girl was gone, a sad, silent wreck in her place. _And it was all Chloe's fault._

Chat stood up, suddenly. He looked across the sleeping city, and felt a pulling in his gut. He knew where he had to go, even if he wasn't welcome. Would she want to see him? Did he care? The answer to the latter question was no, the former still undecided.

Extending his staff so he could vault over slumbering houses and through silent, dark alleyways, Chat ran. Ran towards the girl he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, how he felt about.

" _Do you like her back?"_ Alya had asked eagerly, and at the time he hadn't known. But now?

Yes.

Entirely, irrevocably, undeniably.

Yes.

oOo

He slowed as he neared the school, knowing Marinette's house wasn't far from it. He didn't know what he was going to say to her- he wasn't going to tell her how he felt (he was Chat, not Adrien, after all, a superhero she barely knew) but he knew he was going to comfort her. She would undoubtedly be in need of it, after the day she'd had. He kept that in mind as he sprang onto her balcony, as a reminder to keep his own, selfish agenda to himself, at least for tonight.

Landing deftly and quietly on her roof, he saw the trap door that led into her room, and he snuck over to it. Before picking the lock with a pointed claw, he looked in to see if she was even there.

She was. She sat at her desk with her head on her arms, sleeping deeply. Her breath stirred the strands of hair that fell over her face as she inhaled then exhaled. Chat couldn't help but notice how lacklustre it was, devoid of the usual shine and bounce that had always drawn his attention to it. The shadows under her eyes were shockingly dark, making her face seem even paler. The hollows of her cheekbones were alarmingly prominent and deep, and if he hadn't seen her breathing, he honestly might have mistaken her for dead.

That thought was the one that was the catalyst for him creaking open her trapdoor and dropping silently onto her bed. He could see her better from her, and he could also hear her quiet sighs as she caught up on what was some clearly-needed sleep. Chat sat there for a while, reassuring himself that she was alive, she was here, and had almost convinced himself to leave her in peace when she screamed his name.

oOo

The turmoil of the black sky above made Marinette shiver as she was tossed around, leaf-like, by the brutal wind. Red lightning cracked across her vision- not comforting cherry like her Ladybug suit, but dark, malicious scarlet that sent fear into her trembling core.

She struggled to keep her feet on the ground as she spun, trying to see, to make sense of her surroundings. The once-familiar buildings of Paris loomed over her, thin, twisting and intimidating. The lightning struck again, this time hitting the building next to her. Slabs of brick and concrete exploded from the spot where it hit, tossing into the air. Marinette threw her arms around her and screamed as they tumbled down around her, knowing that she couldn't protect herself. The first one to hit her knocked her down, but she was devoid of pain as she filled with fear- suddenly seeing Alya, Nino and Adrien standing over her, staring at the sky. They didn't flinch as the rocks rained perilously down around them, but Marinette scrambled up to push them out of the way, cover them, do anything to protect them-

Just as she reached her arms out to grab Alya and drag her to safety, the trio disappeared, only to reappear a few feet away, facing her blankly. The rock fall stopped, and the wind picked up, higher and stronger than before. Lightning struck- first Alya, then Nino then Adrien, and Marinette watched helplessly as they fell to the ground in quick succession. She screamed again, held back from her friends by an invisible wall in the air. She pounded her fists on it and screamed their names. Mari looked around desperately for anything or anyone that could assist her. She spied a shadowed figure on a faraway rooftop, watching the carnage and death unfold as she felt, rather than saw, her friend's heartbeats stop.

"Help me!" Marinette screamed. "P-Please, help them!"

The figure jumped impossibly far, landing directly in front of her, and Marinette gasped as the shadows surrounding them lifted to reveal Chat Noir.

He said something so quietly she shouldn't have been able to hear it over the wind and lightning strikes, but somehow she could.

" _You_ should have helped them."

Marinette stared, aghast.

"I tried! I couldn't- something wouldn't let me- but then…"

An ugly look crossed his face, and Marinette realised she was now wearing her Ladybug suit, but without her mask. Chat stared at her in disgust, recoiling when she tried to reach out to him.

"You're pathetic. A hero? I don't think so." He sneered, and Marinette fell back, gasping as a dagger seemed to force itself into her gut.

"Me neither." Snorted Alya, suddenly standing next to him, Adrien and Nino either side of her. "I looked up to Ladybug, but now I know she's you? I realise she'd _nothing_ worth idolising."

Nino nodded, and the lightning flashes cast dark shadows over her friends' faces.

Marinette backed away, but they followed.

"No, I… I've helped people, I've saved people. I'm- Ladybug- I'm a good person!" She gasped desperately, knives in her every nerve twisting until she collapsed. She fell on her back and her four friends crowded over her.

Nino scoffed at her. "You're pathetic, weak. As if anyone could ever look up to or love someone as useless as you."

Chat nodded an agreement and another knife of agony forced its way into Marinette's stomach. "When have you ever done anything without me? You can't do anything without me there to catch you, to clean up your messes."

"Everyone knows how ridiculous little Marinette pined over me. They laughed, and I did, too. How could someone like you ever compare to me?" Adrien taunted, his once-handsome features harsh and angular.

Lightning flashed again, and threw her friend's faces into sharp relief. They looked less like her friends, and more like vultures preying on her weaknesses, and Marinette screamed again.

The scene around her dissolved until she was cowering on the ground of an endless blackness. She looked around, trying to make her eyes adjust and light flared behind her.

Chat Noir stood there, illuminated by a light that seemed to be emanating from somewhere far above. Marinette froze as her partner stared at her, crouching on the ground in fear like a little girl.

The corners of his mouth curved down into a grimace.

"I thought Ladybug was better than this." He sighed, and Marinette scrambled up. She tried to go to him, but her feet were frozen in place. "I thought she was great and good, but… she's just _you._ I loved her… I loved you!" He shouted suddenly, and the girl flinched at the venom in his voice.

"You were cruel, playing with my affections as you pined pathetically after that pretty-boy. You couldn't find the strength to tell me you hated me, you were too self-involved, caught up in your own stupid, imaginary romance. Don't you know yet he could never love you? You're _nothing._ " He spat.

"No… _no…"_ whimpered Marinette, tears pouring down her face. "I don't hate you, Ch-Chat, I could never hate you. I- I l-love you, you're my best friend, I _n-need_ you!"

Suddenly Chat was right in front of her, his face pained and tears swimming in his sparkling eyes.

"But you don't love me the way I love you…" he whispered, heart-breakingly miserably. "And you love _him_."

Marinette stared at him, dreading what was to come.

"I'm only a nuisance, a bother to you. So… I'll let myself out of your life." Before she knew what was happening, there was a silver blade in his hand. Marinette screamed as he stepped backwards so she had the perfect view as he plunged it hilt-deep into his own stomach.

" _Chat! Chat- noooo!"_ Marinette's voice cracked as her voice hurt her own eardrums in its pitch and loudness. Dark blood spurted from behind Chat's gloved fingers, and she couldn't move as his knees hit the ground, eyes glazing over. She tried to go to him, she tried to help him, but she couldn't move. He stared at the knife in him, then looked back at her with betrayal in his eyes.

"You didn't save me…" he whispered. "You're not a hero. You… you aren't anything. Ladybug is nothing if… if she's _you_." Chat's last breaths escaped him and he slumped forwards onto the dark stain that had spread across his front. There was nothing Marinette could do but scream his name as he stopped moving.

"No! No- Chat! I'm sorry, I tried to save you… _Chaaat!_ Please, no… Chat… _I'm sorry._ "

The light was snuffed out as tears cascaded down Marinette's face in complete darkness.

She kept yelling, hoping he'd hear her and come back to her.

" _Chat! Chaaaat! Noooo!"_

"Marinette!" A voice permeated the darkness, and suddenly the world around her was shaking, falling apart. " _Marinette, wake up! Please, wake up!"_

Chat shook the unconscious girl frantically until her eyes opened and she jolted at the sight of the dark shadow looming over her, not recognizing him in her terror. Her yells of his name continued as she tried to push him off her, struggled to free herself from both the intruder and the dark, lingering horror of her nightmare.

"Marinette, it's me! It's Chat! It's okay, you're alright, it- it was just a dream!"

The horrible, gut-wrenching screams stopped coming out of her mouth, but she still pushed herself away from him. Her entire body shook and she scrambled to get away, still not recognizing him out of fear.

"It was a all a dream, Marinette. Please..." Chat reached out to touch her, but she flailed and he let her go, not wanting to scare her again. He stood over her but stayed still until she stopped looking around wildly and her eyes focused on the one whose name she'd been screaming like her life depended on it.

She froze, breaths coming out of her rose-petal mouth in quiet, shallow huffs. The silence stretched on as she gazed up at him, took him in, drank in the fact that he was here before her.

"Chat?" The word was so quiet he couldn't have heard it had it not been for his transformation.

"It's okay, it was all a dream." He murmered, crouching down so he was at eye level with her where she sat. "It's over, I promise. It was all a dream..."

He reached out achingly slowly but necessarily gently to touch her, to reassure her that he was, indeed, here. He never got that far.

" _Chat!"_ Marinette cried, and suddenly she was in his arms, holding him in an effort to tie herself to reality. He hugged her back, leaning over where she sat in her desk chair and heard the sobs wrenching themselves out of her throat. They remained in the embrace for a moment. Then, he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, twisting one arm under her legs so she was bridal-style across him. Her arms shifted until they were around the back of his neck, and she buried her face in his strong, warm, comforting chest as he took her up to her bed. He'd heard her yesterday, mentioning that her parents were in Toulouse for the week, so he wasn't afraid so sit on her bed with her cradled into his body.

She held onto any part of him she could reach, still not entirely believing he was there. He shushed her soothingly as her tears soaked into his leather suit. He waited for her to shake off the last remnants of her nightmare, glad that she was finally in his arms and accepting the comfort he'd been wanting to give her for so long. Neither of them quite knew how long it took for her agonized cries to subside, but when they did, Chat stroked her hair as she pulled away from his shoulder to look into his eyes.

She gave a slight hiccough as their gaze intensified, but she didn't look away.

"Chat…" She whispered, stroking his hair away from his face with a tentative finger.

"I'm here. I'm here, Marinette, and I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He took her cold, tiny hand in his warm, larger ones and looked reassuringly at the girl.

She nodded, and leaned forwards into him, closing her eyes with a slight sigh. "Thank god. I thought... I..." She breathed, not knowing what to say. But soon she relaxed again, feeling him stroke her hair with his free hand.

"Princess…" he murmured, nuzzling her hair with his face, and he was forcibly reminded of the time he'd done the same thing for another vulnerable girl with black hair and eyes like the sky. He'd been making a lot of comparisons between Mari and Ladybug recently, but shook the latter out of his mind as he heard Mari give a sniff, reminding him which one he was with at present.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I know I must be scaring you… I'm sorry…" Mari whispered, winding her hand into his tousled blond hair. In response he wrapped his arms even more securely around her, like he'd wanted to for so many weeks.

"It's fine. Please, don't be sorry, Marinette. I'm here, as long as you need me. You don't have to tell me anything, I promise. But as long as you want me to be, I'm staying right here."

He felt her nod into his chest, both sighing thankful sighs as they finally either got or gave the comfort they'd been needing to get or give. She didn't question why he was here in her room, too glad he was to be confused. He was relieved as well, both feeling more comfortable in the others' embrace than they'd ever imagined.

"Thank you, Chat. I- I'm glad you're here." Marinette breathed into his chest as her heart rate sank back to normal. She felt him smile against her hair.

"Me too. Don't worry, I won't ask you to tell me what's going on, but both now and for the last few weeks I knew you needed comfort. I'm glad to finally be able to give it to you." Marinette stiffened slightly but didn't pull away. Chat realised his mistake and knew she was wondering how he'd known she'd been miserable for so long. She didn't say anything though, so he managed to cover himself with a white lie. "We've passed each other in the streets before, did you know that? It always made me grin, knowing you had no idea who I was. I guess we live near each other, I've seen you enough to be able to recognize when you've had a bad day." _And today, I was part of your bad day,_ he added mentally. He sensed her relax again, and felt it was safe to lower her fully backwards onto her bed.

He curled up next to her, and they let each others' warmth heat up their chilly bodies. They lay for a while, taking comfort in the others' proximity and Chat finally felt her un-tense fully and he felt more at peace than he had in weeks. They both did.

He sat up carefully, then flashed her a gentle but still cheeky Cheshire grin.

"Well, princess, I think it must be time to say _adieu._ And might I recommend that you take tomorrow off? I think you need a sick day, but I don't want to keep you up all night. But I will see you soon, cat's honour." He turned to go, but stopped when he felt a tug on his tail. She was sitting up with the end of it clasped in one hand, but she didn't look at him.

"Princess?" He questioned, confused by her silence.

"Could..." She took a deep breath. "Could you stay with me? J-Just for a little while, not all n-night or anything... Though, as long as you haven't used your ataclysm power, your transformation should last all night, but I just... I want to be not alone, and to know y-you're here and ok-kay. " She seemed almost surprised when he dropped down next to her, the mattress bouncing slightly.

"Of course." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and they snuggled back down under the blankets. "I told you- as long as you need me, I'm right here.

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This one was the most intense one to write! I hope you all enjoyed this madness, and if you did- then let me know! Your amazing reviews make my day :3 and I love you all! xx PS Is anyone else freaking out over that Origins episode!?


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry this is a bit late, guys, I couldn't get off of work then I had to finish up my Mothers' Day stuff for tomorrow :( Anyhoo, I hope you guys enjoy this. I was originally going to make the next sort of section one chapter, but so far I've managed to get a bit carried away and made it into three... Lucky for you guys, I guess! As always, your reviews make me smile like an absolute dork, so please keep leaving them! I can't believe how well-received this thing has been, you guys are _unbelievable! TL:DR_ I love you kids, and enjoy :D xx

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The sun was just starting to redden the edges of the sky when Marinette fell back asleep. It was still pitch dark as far as he could see out of her windows, and Chat hadn't slept a bit. He'd never minded his tiredness less though- he'd finally managed to give something back to the girl who'd always been there for him, even before he knew it.

Mari hadn't told him what the dream was about, and he hadn't asked. They just spent the night in each other's company and he became intricately familiar with her face and body; the way her tired eyes still managed to sparkle in the light from the desk lamp they'd left on, the way the hollows under her prominent cheekbones disappeared somewhat when he made her smile with a trademark cringe-worthy pun, the way she nestled her face into his chest when she grew tired and her legs unconsciously tangled with his… All the moments of the night were precious to him, and he knew they'd be forever etched into his memory.

Her eyes were closed now, and she looked more at peace than she had in weeks. Chat was calmer, too. Seeing both Marinette and Ladybug so unhappy had taken its toll on both sides of his life, and he'd finally managed to do something about it. Marinette was soothed, for now, and he'd rarely been less satisfied with a night that hadn't involved Ladybug.

That being said, it was time he went home. Reluctantly, he extracted himself from the cosy cocoon of blankets, and crawled to the edge of the bed before standing up to creak open the skylight. The slight squeak seemed to reach the ears of his bed mate, as she let out a very endearing little sigh and rolled over so her face was exposed. Chat paused, not wanting to wake her. He waited until Mari had stopped moving restlessly and opened the skylight fully, taking a deep breath of the cool, fresh night air.

Not wanting to leave the warm, vanilla-y room, he looked back at where Marinette slept, and sat down on the bed next to her for a moment. Chat gazed at her sleeping, peaceful face and felt a fluttering in his heart. He smiled gently to himself, before tenderly tucking a stray strand of hair behind Marinette's ear so he could place a gentle kiss on her exposed forehead. He remained there perhaps a second longer than he'd expected, their proximity turning the fluttering into a stronger flickering of emotion. Chat stood up again and sent her a whisper as he made his way into the petrichor-scented air above.

"I'll see you soon, my princess. Cat's honour."

As he leapt deftly out onto the roof, he sent a last, longing glance at the girl behind him. And was he imagining it, or was there a soft smile on her sleeping face?

oOo

"Hey, Adrien." Nino greeted his friend with less gusto than normal. He and Alya were standing at the top of the steps outside the school before the bell and looked agitated.

"Hey, Nino, what's up?" Adrien asked, his good mood dissipating as he saw how upset the other two looked. After his night with Marinette he was hoping that today would be bearable, but apparently fate had other ideas. He'd been woken up an hour earlier than expected by Nathalie and had spent the morning at an early photoshoot he'd managed to forget about entirely. He'd missed the first half of the morning's lessons and had only gotten back in time for the mid-morning break. He walked closer, and suddenly knew the answer to his own question.

" _Are you completely stupid?!"_ Screeched an awfully familiar voice from inside the building. The three friends winced at the shrillness, before continuing to listen nervously. "Even the _bare_ amount of competence expected of a human being seems to be a big ask for you. I'm beginning to wonder how you haven't managed to kill yourself already by braining yourself on a lamppost!"

Adrien winced.

"Ouch. Bit harsh. Who's Chloe yelling at now, anyway? Wait, it- it's not Marinette, is it? Because if it is, I swear I'm gonna-"

Alya waved away his concerns and shushed him.

"It's not Marinette, she's not even here today. I guess she took a sick day, thank god, I'm sure she needed it. So no, it's not her."

"Then who?" Wondered Adrien drowsily, looking at all the other students who had gathered nearby to listen to the yelling that issued from behind the mostly-closed front doors of the school. Everybody he could think of seemed to be accounted for.

"That new kid, Xavier." Whispered Nino.

"Who?" Adrien stifled a yawn, his late night taking its toll.

Alya and Nino shot him frustrated looks as they listened to Chloe berating whoever it was about something. What exactly had happened was unclear, but it was no doubt something petty and mostly imagined by Chloe.

"The transfer kid. He moved here from Nice four weeks ago, remember? You went in a group with him, Juleka and Nathanael for that chemistry project!" Alya told him.

"Oh… yeah." Adrien had, admittedly, had other things on his mind, but that didn't exactly excuse him for entirely forgetting his own classmate. Xavier hadn't made much of an impression, though- skinny, short, with rotund glasses and mousy hair, he didn't really stick out. Adrien just remembered being amazed at how good at science the kid was. Like, better than Max good. "What did he do?"

Nino shrugged. "Dunno. By the sound of it, he made her drop something, or spill something. It's Chloe, though isn't it? He probably could barely even brush her shoulder and she'd try to tell everyone he pushed her down the stairs."

Alya snorted. "Wouldn't blame him if he did."

"Uh… huuh." Adrien yawned again, his tired and emotionally-frazzled brain not really computing the world around him.

Nino gave him a strange look. "You okay, dude? You look kinda… spaced."

Adrien shook himself out of his post- _night-with-Marinette_ -trance.

"Yeah, just tired, I guess. I didn't get much sleep last night."

Alya snorted again. "Who did? I've barely slept in weeks. I've got too much going on in my brain. Mari, Chloe, Hawkmoth, Ladybug… everything's just so… _off_!"

"What are you on about?" Frowned Nino, ear-piercing shrieks still emanating from inside the school building.

"Well, there's all this stuff with Marinette and Chloe, obviously. Mari's so tired, she's going to make herself ill and as her best friend, I'm honestly _terrified_ for her. Then there's the lack of akuma attacks that have happened. Like, there's only been three in the last six weeks! It's got me worried- what's Hawkmoth up to? Is he planning something? It's been too quiet, and I don't like it. I mean, I _guess_ we should be grateful for Ladybug's sake, though. And that was my other point- every time I've seen her recently she's looked awful."

"What do you mean?" Asked Adrien quickly.

"Haven't you noticed? She's gotten so much thinner, for a start, like she's been overworked. I watched all of her and Chat Noir's last fight, I was there when the akuma attacked first. And she could barely keep up with Chat! Sure, she was energetic and all in front of the akuma, but every time Chat was looking the other way she looked like she was about to collapse. I managed to get pretty close while she wasn't looking and I could see how tired she seemed. She was putting a brave face on in front of Chat and was joking and flirting as usual," ( _Flirting_? thought Adrien.) "But as soon as the akuma was dealt with and Chat ran off, she staggered like she was about to fall over, even though the akuma hadn't managed to land a single blow on her the entire time. Her legs were shaking and trembling and stuff. She leaned on a wall for support as if she thought she'd collapse without it and I'm… I'm pretty sure I-I saw her trying not to cry. She seemed like she was in pain, or upset, though I couldn't see where she might have been hurt.

She saw me, um, trying to take a photo, but she didn't even use her yo-yo to go over the rooftops, she just ran through some alleyways and stuff until she shook me off, and… I'm honestly worried about her. She didn't look well, I- I think she's sick." Alya trailed off, slightly embarrassed about her stalker tendencies.

But Adrien had other things on his mind.

Sure, he'd noticed how Ladybug had seemed tired and more sad, and he'd put it down to the stress from her identity-thief's blackmail. He had seen her getting thinner, but hadn't thought there was anything alarming about it… but was there? And as for Alya's claims that she couldn't keep up with Chat… he'd have noticed, wouldn't he? He couldn't possibly be self-involved and unobservant enough to not notice something like that, could he?

Normally, Chat was the one trying to keep up. When they were both trying, Ladybug far outstripped him in both skill, speed and strength. For him, it was a challenge to stay level, and he knew she often slowed herself down slightly on their patrols so he wouldn't get too tired.

But for _him_ to be the one setting the pace, for _her_ to be the one struggling to keep up… it scared him. Marinette being tired and ill right in front of him was awful, but for him to not even _notice_ Ladybug's fatigue and sickness? To have to find out about it from Alya? It made him feel like the worst partner in the world.

He didn't have to wonder why she didn't say anything. Of course she wouldn't want to worry him, she knew he'd probably get himself hurt trying to make everything easier on her. There was no way she'd risk it. She'd suffer in silence. No matter how unhappy she really was, she always put on a brave face.

 _Stupid, brave, selfless Ladybug_. She was going to get herself in danger, one of these days.

Adrien was pulled abruptly out of his musings by the school's front doors being thrown wide open as Xavier ran past the gawking crowd outside, tears running down his red, angry face. Everyone turned to glare at Chloe who stood with her arms folded, a satisfied smile on her face as she watched him storm away.

She saw everyone staring daggers at her, shrugged simply and flounced away happily with her nose in the air.

The bell rang to signal the start of lessons again and people began to move, chattering animatedly.

Alya sighed and Nino clenched his fists.

"Someone needs to get that girl under control." He muttered angrily. "It'd be better for everyone around her." Despite his usually forgiving attitude, Adrien agreed.

"I swear, she's caused more akuma attacks than anyone else. For Ladybug and Chat Noir's sake, she should be locked up!" Alya was getting slightly outlandish in her punishment ideas, but Adrien couldn't help but see the benefits of her suggestion. He shrugged slowly and turned to Alya and Nino, mouth open and ready to speak when he was cut off by a bullish roar from behind. The students turned to stare in horror as a burly, hulking figure made its way towards them from round the corner.

"I am The Scholar! My superior intellect surpasses that of all who oppose me! I seek to destroy the ignorant and annihilate the uneducated! Bow to my brilliance, or _face my wrath_!"

People screamed and ran in every direction. Adrien just groaned and hung his head.

 _Oh crap._


	10. Chapter 10

Time for a new chapter! Like I said last chapter, this was all originally meant to be one chapter but I got carried away and managed to turn it into three... but more detail for you guys! We're finally getting into the part of the story I've had planned out for the longest, which I'm quite excited about... but no spoilers about what's to come! xx

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Alya had said, not twenty minutes ago, that things were incredibly peaceful. Adrien was going to have to teach that girl a lesson about the dangers of tempting fate.

The Scholar was wondering away from the school and was perusing the streets of Paris, absorbing the energy of those he found to be doing things he deemed 'unintelligent'. Chat could barely keep up as he pounced from rooftop to rooftop after the monster, worriedly noting that the Scholar had nearly quadrupled in height and tripled in breadth since he'd first appeared, as a result of the energy he'd consumed.

Pounding along, trying to catch up to the monster, Chat saw a woman texting intently as she walked along the pavement down below, but a hundred or so metres in front of him. She was nearing a junction as she texted, and the Scholar's head whipped towards her, as if sensing what she was about to do. Sure enough, the lady didn't even look up from her phone before she stepped off the pavement to cross the road, and the Scholar cackled in delighted scorn as he scooped her up with a giant hand.

"Who knew Paris was full of so many fools? Looks like I'm going to be unstoppable before long, if I keep coming across more idiots like you."

The woman screamed and writhed, but the Scholar's free hand descended towards her forehead. Touching her face with the tip of his right index finger, a green glow surrounded her until the Scholar absorbed the energy of the terrified 'idiot' until she faded away altogether. Chat groaned and stood up as the Scholar grew slightly. This was the fourteenth time the Scholar had absorbed someone he'd seen doing 'stupid' things, 'stupid' apparently being anything from seeing how far you could lean out of a window before falling, or simply not knowing where the capital of England was. Chloe Bourgeois, along with several other of his classmates had been consumed, and Chat was running out of time and options.

Admittedly, he had been trying to put off the inevitable confrontation because he was nervous about fighting without Ladybug, but the longer he waited, the harder the Scholar was going to be to fight. He'd have to get the akuma out himself, and keep it in a mason jar until Ladybug was back to health.

The Scholar dropped what was left of his victim (a red high-heeled shoe) back to the ground and chuckled.

"Next time, look before you cross the street." He gave the advice to no-one in particular, then continued on his search for stupidity.

Chat deftly flipped off his rooftop and landed on the street below. He cupped his paws around his mouth and yelled:

"Hey, Mister Teacher guy! I know a kid who is always getting himself into stupid situations where he's forced to go up solo against multiple enemies! He does it on purpose, as well."

The Scholar turned towards him, a gleeful grimace on his face.

"That is a very stupid thing to do. He sounds like an ideal victim. But then again, drawing my attention to yourself was not a very clever choice to make. I think I'll get rid of you first."

Chat dodged the hand that came swiping down at him, and smirked.

"Well, I guess today is your lucky day. I'm that very kid. Unbelievable coincidence, right? But you know what's even more unbelievable? Those enemies who fight him _always_ lose. And I don't think you're gonna be the exception, bud."

The Scholar let out an angry roar and trampled his way towards Chat Noir, who in turn, ran towards the monster. As a giant hand swooped down to try and capture him, Chat extended his staff and did a pole vault-style leap over his head. Knowing the creature was slow and not very agile, Chat got a good head start as the monster struggled to turn around to chase him down.

By the time the Scholar had caught up to Chat, they were in the large open space outside the Louvre. On their way, the Scholar had managed to smash over 4 lampposts, dent 3 buildings and break about twenty post boxes, so Chat figured it was best to stay away from… well, everything.

He ran into the middle of the square and positioned himself into a fighting stance, his staff at his side. The Scholar squared up to him.

"Fighting me alone? You're stupider than I thought."

Chat was about to make a smart-ass response when he was cut off by a voice from across the square.

"Who said he was alone?" Ladybug stood atop the Louvre, one hand on her hip and the other spinning her yo-yo. All eyes on her, she leaped off the roof and landed easily, rolling forwards on impact so she came up in a crouch. "And stupider isn't even a word, Mr Smarty-Pants. Maybe you should absorb your own energy and give everyone the day off, hmm?"

As pleased as he was to see his partner, and even though knowing that he wouldn't have to fight alone was welcome information, Chat was worried. Now that he had been informed of it, he couldn't help but notice the way her suit loosely hung off her scarily thin body, and despite her strong, powerful stance, she gave off an aura of exhaustion. When she turned to smile at him, he saw the dark shadows under her eyes and in the hollows of her cheekbones. If she wasn't careful, she was going to get hurt.

He didn't get a chance to voice his fears, however because the Scholar had had enough. He charged, and let out a bellow as he pounded towards them. Chat and Ladybug readied themselves.

"What and who are we dealing with here, Chat?" Ladybug cried as they dived in different directions to avoid the Scholar's grabbing hands. They came up out of their rolls on opposite sides of the square, the Scholar looking between them like he didn't know who to go after first. Was Chat imagining it, or was Ladybug's body sagging slightly?

"A boy from College Francois-Dupont." He called back, ducking under the Scholar's irritated swipe and jabbing his staff into the monster's face as he did so. He back-flipped away as the Scholar let out another bellow and rubbed his face. "As far as I can tell, he was being called some rather unflattering names after making a bad decision or the like. Now he's out to, and I quote here, M'Lady, 'destroy the ignorant and annihilate the uneducated'."

Ladybug let out a sigh Chat could hear from across she square and ran forwards to slide under the enemy's legs so she could ready herself next to her partner.

"Bit of an overreaction, don't you think?" She asked, throwing her yo-yo to catch the Scholar's leg to yank it out from underneath him. He fell flat on his back with a roar. "All that happened was some name calling, nothing exactly drastic."

Chat snorted and the two bounced up onto the top of a nearby building to escape their foe who was getting increasingly irritated as he pushed himself up.

"Hardly. The one who was calling him names was someone we're unfortunately _very_ familiar with."

Ladybug frowned, catching the Scholar's arm with her yo-yo before he could pick up some nearby civilians across the square. He let out another yell, and Ladybug was forced to leap off the roof and let him go so she wasn't pulled off face-first by the angry monster. Chat followed her down.

"Who was it?"

They ducked under a swipe and skidded through the Scholar's legs, one after the other. The lumbering monster was slowing from tiredness, but getting more desperate and angry by the minute.

"Who do you think? That stupid blonde girl who's caused more akumas than anyone else in Paris." Chat told her, splitting his staff in two and throwing them so they hit the Scholar on both sides of the head in perfect synchronicity. "One Chloe Bourgeois."

Ladybug stiffened. It was such a small difference that Chat barely noticed it, but something more noticeable was the way her already-pale face whitened so much he was honestly worried she was going to faint.

"Ah."

That was all she had time to say, as the Scholar once more made a desperate grab for the two of them. They both managed to dodge, but when Ladybug finished spinning out of the way, she found herself face to face with Chat. They noticed their proximity, and both felt the blush rising in their cheeks.

Chat's strong chest was pressed up against hers, and neither could seem to move away. He looked down at her with a strange intensity in his eyes, and the shortness of breath Ladybug had been trying to hide couldn't just be attributed to her fatigue and the akuma fight anymore. He looked like he was about to speak, when there was a scream from across the square. Apparently, the Scholar had decided he needed more of the civilians' energy before tackling the superheroes, and was pounding his way over to where a solitary figure was doing their best to run from him. Despite their head start, however, the Scholar was gaining fast.

The duo sprang into action, Ladybug lassoing a chimney across the square so she could swing over, with Chat using his staff to flip himself into the air so they descended side by side to try and stop the Scholar from capturing the civili- _too late._

An ear piercing shriek emitted from the civilian's mouth as they were caught up in a gigantic hand. The superheroes rolled the impact of their landing away, twisting as they came up to see the Scholar grinning as he moved to put his finger against his new victim's forehead. Chat could only see the back of the captured person's head, but she was clearly female, and something about her seemed familiar.

"Let her go, Scholar." Yelled Ladybug, spinning her yo-yo threateningly.

The Scholar paused, his finger an inch from the girl's head as she struggled and squirmed in his grip.

"But she's so perfect! I mean, how idiotic do you have to be to actually stay and film an akuma-superhero fight when the monster's victims are those who make bad, silly decisions! It's like, how much more idiotic can you get? Thanks to her inadvisable decision, she will be the one whose energy I need to make me strong enough to beat the two of you _._ " And with that, the Scholar moved his finger the last inch, and the superheroes watched in horror as the girl in his grasp was surrounded by an eerie green light, and then faded away to nothing. Well, not quite nothing. A cell phone tumbled through the air from where its owner's hand had disappeared, and Ladybug dived forwards to catch it, suddenly desperate for a reason she couldn't name. Time seemed to stand still as she caught the phone, and turned it over in her hands. She stared at it, the Ladybug charm swinging from the top a clear indication of who its owner had been.

A stone dropped into Chat's stomach as the recognition sparked through him, too.

" _Alya_ …" whispered Ladybug as she stared at all that was left of her best friend. "No!" Tears gathered in her eyes as she put the phone down, then looked up to glare at the grinning monster. Settling into a combative stance with her yo-yo in motion, she gritted her teeth.

"Alright, Chat. Let's take him down."


	11. Chapter 11

I can't believe how amazingly positive the response to this fic has been! You guys are so awesome! As always, please review and leave suggestions/ ideas. You guys are faaabbb xx

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There was a hardness in Ladybug's voice that Chat hadn't heard there before, and all her fatigue and weakness seemed to have evaporated. A steely glint flashed in her eyes as she spun her yo-yo, ready to attack and Chat prepared himself beside her. He was upset about Alya, of course he was, but why was Ladybug? Did she know Alya as a civilian? Or was her upset simply a result of an underlying fondness for her biggest fan?

Chat thought it was most likely to be the latter, but didn't have much time to ponder, as Ladybug sprang towards the Scholar's face. She vaulted over his head, and the Scholar turned his head and eyes to follow her, making great, sweeping grabs for her body as she flew past him. Chat used their enemy's distraction to extend his staff and dash to the side of the Scholar. He pulled back, then swept his staff along the ground in a huge arc, wiping the Scholar's legs out from under him. He landed on his back, and Chat ran up to him, trying to see a way to keep him down. Ladybug ran up behind her superhero counterpart, slightly out of breath. This unusual occurrence reminded Chat of how sick she was, and the fact that this akuma fight needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

Apparently, though, Ladybug didn't have any ideas either as they feebly watched their foe get to his feet.

"Any ideas, Chat? He just keeps getting up again!" Ladybug let out a yelp as she barely dodged another swipe, and Chat, angered, tried to jab his baton into the Scholar's face. But the Scholar had been a victim of that particular attack before, and was ready for it. He pulled the baton out of Chat's hands, and sent it flying across the square.

Chat backed away, Ladybug stepping protectively in front of his with her spinning yo-yo forming a shield over them. Chat felt awful- Ladybug was sick and tired, and she was here protecting him. He was useless without his baton, and they were running out of ideas.

"Sorry, M'Lady. I'm fresh out." The two were basically trapped now, backs up against one of the buildings surrounding the square.

"The longer we fight him, the stronger he gets. He's memorising our fighting patterns, anticipating our attacks. We need to get this done- _quickly!"_ Ladybug shoved Chat sideways as a gigantic fist came down on them, the two diving out of the way miliseconds before it hit the wall behind them. The rubble cleared and the two coughed the dust out of their lungs.

"Well, we'll have to use new moves!" Chat told her as he dashed through the dust to clamber up the leg of the Scholar, who roared and swatted at the black shape that was too quick for even him. "Lucky I've got such smooth moves, then, m'Lady."

Ladybug threw her yo-yo, the bulk of the compact hitting the Scholar directly in one of his little red eyes. With a very unmanly squeal, the Scholar recoiled, rubbing it pitifully.

Chat took the opportunity to sink his claws into their enemy's lower back, then leaped off as the Scholar staggered around, one hand at his eye, the other at his newest wound.

"Where's the akuma?" Ladybug coughed, the dust from the ruined wall making her voice hoarse as she re-joined her partner. Chat studied their enemy as he wandered around semi-blindly. He thought about Xavier.

"His glasses!" Chat cried suddenly. His yell seemed to catch the attention of their enemy, who let out a roar and bulldozed towards them. "Look- there's a pair of glasses in his shirt pocket. I bet they're in there."

"Nice one, Chat!" Ladybug called as the ducked under the grabbing hands once more. Throwing her yo-yo, she caught a chimney on one of the nearby buildings and zipped upwards. Chat pounced up to meet her. "Chat, what are you doing?" She cried as he landed in front of her on the building. They were spurred into action by the Scholar, and ran from rooftop to rooftop around the square as he continued trying to smash them "You need to go get your baton, it's still over across the square!"

Chat shook his head.

"No, you need me to cover you while you get your Lucky Charm, Ladybug. I'll distract him."

"Chat Noir, no!" He heard Ladybug yell after him as he ran and leapt off the building, soaring through the air towards the Scholar. Unfortunately, one of the Scholar's hands hit him mid-air, and he folded around it. The wind was knocked out of him as he tumbled gracelessly to the ground. The landing was shook his every bone, and he lay flat on his back, winded for a moment. Spots danced across his vision. He could hear Ladybug screaming at the akuma, and sprang up again, the world only spinning slightly.

The Scholar was making swipes at Ladybug, getting more frustrated by the second. Unfortunately, his swipes were getting stronger and closer to the spotted heroine, who was dancing around on the rooftops, having been too concerned for Chat to have had a chance to get her Lucky Charm. Chat cursed himself for a moment and looked around wildly for anything to help.

He spotted his baton lying not four feet away from him, and scooped it up thankfully. He turned to see Ladybug diving off the side of a building to land on the ground furthest away from Chat, way across the square. The Scholar pounded after her, and even from this distance, Chat could see how her body sagged with tiredness and aches, her face pale. She held herself oddly stiffly, and Chat could also see the look of fear that crossed her face as she realised how much trouble she was in.

Chat was too far away to be of any immediate help, and Ladybug was panicking. Backing away from the akuma as he advanced with evil cackles, she made a last, desperate move.

"Lucky Charm!" She cried despairingly, and the light that exploded above her head cast the world into a pink glow. She caught the item as the akuma reached her, and she barely had time to register that it was an enormous magnet before she was once more fleeing the monster. She saw Chat sprinting over the square towards her with his baton in hand, and got an idea. She raised her arm.

"Chat Noir! Catch!" She yelled, launching the Lucky Charm over to him. The Scholar turned to look as it passed his head, his feet slowing in his distraction. As Chat dived to catch it, Ladybug suddenly changed her path and ran _towards_ the monster, her legs bunching up beneath her to propel herself upwards towards the monster's chest.

Chat saw all this happening as the magnet landed in his grasp, and was watching as he saw the Scholar's head turn away from him, and back to Ladybug. Realising what was about to happen, Chat screamed, "Ladybug! _Look out!"_ As Ladybug's leap levelled her with the akuma's shirt pocket where the glasses lay, a great hand came arching through the sky towards her.

Had she been in good health, had she been well-rested and fully prepared for the fight, Ladybug would have had the chance to change her angle and press her feet against the monster's chest to push herself away, consequently dodging the hand that came towards her. As it happened, she wasn't any of those things. As it happened, that's not what she did.

Time slowed as Chat ran desperately towards the monster, knowing it would be too late but unable to stop himself. The Scholar's hand connected with Ladybug's suspended body, and Chat distinctly heard something crack. Her body folded in on itself mid-air, and she was sent sailing straight backwards, away from the monster. A scream of agony wrenched itself out of her mouth as she was thrown towards the buildings at the other side of the square, and Chat heard yet more awful noises as she connected with the wall, then dropped the ten metres to the ground. There she lay, face down and un-moving and Chat was fairly certain his heart stopped.

 _No no no no no no no no no_

" _Ladybug!"_ He screamed her name, his voice cracking as he stared over at the little red and black heap. A huge shudder of relief fell out of him as he saw it stir slightly.

The Scholar turned his head to the terrified superhero with an evil grin plastered on his face. Incensed, and more scared than he'd ever been in his life, Chat raised his paw and called his power to him.

"Cataclysm!"

The dark energy surrounded his hand as he slammed it down into the pavestones below. Amplified by his fear and anger, the light crackled its way across to where the monster stood, and broke the ground underneath to topple him over. The stones roiled and moved over each other, trapping the Scholar's legs so he could move nothing but his arms. He made desperate grabs as Chat darted past him.

"La-Ladybug, _Ladybug_!" Chat cried as he neared his partner, who lay on the ground below. She moved her head as he neared, choked breaths wheezing out of her lungs.

"Ch-Chat, I-I'm okay." She coughed as he knelt down next to her. Chat stared at her- the way she cradled her too-limp right arm in her left, and the way her legs were pointed outwards, in directions they shouldn't have. He knew that she definitely was _not_ okay.

"No, you're bloody not! Look at you!"

Ladybug grimaced, struggling to support her upper body against Chat's heaving chest.

"Don't worry about me, kitty, I _will_ be fine. But you need to sort out that akuma, okay?"

Chat blanched. Ladybug's body was trembling in his grasp, pain lashing through her broken body. She was clearly trying to hide it, but her knew her too well for that to work.

"M-me? How can I-"

Ladybug (with obvious effort) placed a red and black finger on his lips.

"Look at me, Chat. I can't even stand, let alone get those glasses off of him. So I need you, okay? You're as much a part of this team as I am, and I need you. It's your turn to get the glory, it's your turn to defeat the akuma. Use my Lucky Charm- I know you'll figure something out." Her speech was punctuated by little sighs and gasps of pain, and Chat's heart fluttered more and more with every one. He knew, deep down, that she wouldn't be able to do anything in this condition, but he also knew that he had no idea what to do.

"Wh-what do I do? And who's going to look after you while I'm off being heroic?"

Ladybug chuckled, then winced.

"I'm not about to die, Chat, don't worry. And I trust you. You'll think of something." Chat saw her vision haze over from the pain. "I'm fairly certain I'm about to black out, though, so you'd better get on with it, kitty."

Chat swallowed nervously as her eyes fluttered shut. He gently set her head down, and stared at the magnet in his lap. He didn't know what to do with it, but Ladybug was right- in her state, she probably couldn't even lift the damn thing. The longer he waited, the worse she was going to get, so it was up to him to figure out a way to purify the akuma and set everything back to normal. He could tend to Ladybug afterwards.

Chat stood up slowly, analysing the Scholar as he neared the imprisoned monster. How could he use the magnet?

Suddenly, Chat's vision zeroed in on the wire-rimmed glasses that nestled in the Scholar's shirt pocket. He almost laughed, it was so simple. But before he raised the magnet, Chat ran towards the wreckage of a nearby building and scooped up the remains of a glass jar that was still intact enough to provide sufficient confinement. Then, the metal on the rims of the glasses were pulled towards him too quickly for the Scholar to grab them. Chat caught them as they zoomed towards the magnet, and broke them over his knee. A black butterfly fluttered out, and Chat caught it in the jar, which he then placed carefully upside-down on the ground so the akuma was ready for them to purify it once Ladybug could move.

Nervously, Chat threw the magnet high up into the air, and with an experimental cry of "Miraculous Ladybug!", the swarms of red beetles exploded outwards, mending buildings and turning the enraged monster back into the quiet, nondescript boy Chat knew to be Xavier. The people he'd absorbed were popping back into existence all over the city, but he didn't have time for any of them. He ran back to where the ladybugs seemed to be taking an awfully long time to repair their mistress. He skidded to a halt, and knelt down next to Ladybug as the last of the magic disappeared.

Her eyes opened as he held her, and she seemed to be breathing easier. Her arm was back in its socket, and her left leg was pointing the right way.

"Chat, you did it." She croaked, her body relaxing as the pain left and the tiredness set back in.

"I- I did. A-and are you all better, my Lady?" He asked, pulling her closer to him. A yelp left her mouth as he moved her and he pulled back, aghast. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you still in pain? But I-I thought the magic would heal you! What's wrong?"

Ladybug grimaced and panted slightly, her face haggard. They both looked down her body to where her right leg was still twisted, clearly badly broken.

"I guess there's only so much magic can fix. The akuma caused a lot of damage, and I guess the city and civilians have to be put first." She sighed and Chat frowned.

"Ladybug, I- I'm so sorry. I should have been there, and I should have _helped_ you, I-" he was cut off when Ladybug, again, softly placed a finger over his remorseful lips, ignoring the first beeps of their rings or earrings.

"I don't care. You stopped the Scholar, you saved Paris. You freed the akuma- _oh god, I still have to purify that thing_ \- and you saved me. All in all… I think you were quite _miraculous."_


	12. Chapter 12

Wow, nearly a hundred favourites and over 150 follows! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING XX

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"All in all… I think you were quite _miraculous."_

Chat couldn't believe his ears. A pun? _Now?_

He didn't think he'd ever loved anyone as much as he loved Ladybug in that moment. And it showed in the way he gathered her up in his arms, pressing his face into her hair and letting a few chuckles out, along with all of his fear and tension from the fight.

Ladybug giggled back, weakly. She pressed her face into his shoulder, stroking her hand through his hair. They remained in the embrace for a second, until the busy noises of the city and nearby civilians brought them back down to earth.

"Still got work to do, though." She added, and he glanced over his shoulder to where the akuma was still trapped in a vase, sighing.

It was a little awkward, as Chat had to basically hold her up the whole time, but Ladybug managed to purify the akuma and they watched it flutter away into the sunny sky with a huge amount of relief.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" Called a familiar voice, and the two spotted a figure racing across the square towards them.

Both were relieved to see Alya whole again, but Ladybug didn't want her to see her leg- she might make the connection once she saw Marinette at school tomorrow.

"Chat?" She whispered, her earrings adding a helpful edge to her request. "We kinda need to get out of here. But… and this is a _one time thing, okay…_ I may need you to, um, carry me."

Chat's eyes lit up with understanding (and glee) and scooped her up just as Alya whipped her phone out, now close enough for a photo. He leapt up to the rooves above, and gave a smirk as he saw Ladybug give his trademark two-finger salute to the awe-struck brunette below. With her still secure in his arms, he dashed over rooftops until they were a safe distance from the bustling square. He dropped to ground level and carefully set Ladybug down. She propped herself against the wall of the alleyway, a whimper of pain exiting her mouth.

"Oh god…" She groaned, and he could see how much pain she was in. His insides twisted. He ignored it, and he tried to lighten the mood.

"You're going to have some fun explaining this away to your folks, huh?" He said, ignoring the beeping from his ring.

Ladybug gave a weak chuckle, her face screwed up and clutching her leg. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground.

"Not as much as you might expect."

"Really?" Chat crouched down in front of her, holding her gaze. He didn't want to leave her, despite his impending de-transformation.

"Yeah… they're kind of used to this sort of thing. Believe it or not, outside the suit, I'm a bit of a klutz." Her earrings beeped their penultimate warning and she frowned. "Crap."

"You should tell them you fell down the stairs." Chat suggested, secretly buying himself time so she would de-transform and he'd have no excuse to leave her. The ruse didn't work.

"I might take you up on that, kitty. But for now, you've got to go. We're both about to change back, and it's not going to be pretty, believe me."

"I'm not leaving you like this! You can't even walk, Ladybug." Chat protested. Ladybug shook her head.

"Please, Chat. I'll be fine, I'll call an ambulance okay? I've got my phone on my civilian self, everything will be fine." She dropped her eyes down to her lap. Chat put his paw under her chin and raised it back up. He tried to convey his concern, his love for her, silently. She seemed to understand, as she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for saving me, Chat. But… I need you to leave, okay?" She whispered, her earrings giving their final beeps. Chat pulled back reluctantly, not able to disobey her pleads.

Giving one last look at where she sat, crumpled on the ground, Chat swallowed his regret and unwillingness. He extended his staff, pushed himself to the top of the building in front of him and ran.

He heard ambulances blaring past him a few minutes later, and had to stop himself from turning to follow them. He hated leaving her, it was one of the hardest things he'd had to do in a long time. But he could never _not_ do as she asked.

He paused on top of one of the buildings overlooking the Louvre. The destruction had been fixed by his/Ladybug's Lucky Charm, and the shaken civilians were dissipating. His gaze fell on one figure in the centre who seemed to be either lost or frozen. He dropped silently to the ground behind them, and realised it was Xavier. The poor boy seemed thoroughly confused and more than a little scared. Chat thought for a moment, then realised there'd only been one akuma attack since the boy had moved to Paris, and it had been a fairly small, no-nonsense one that they're managed to subdue in about ten minutes. The boy must have had no idea what had happened or how he'd gotten to the centre of Paris from school with no recollection of it.

Chat placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and he turned around, his expression lost and fearful.

"H-how did I get here? Wait, a-aren't you that superhero guy? What's going on?! I n-need to get back to school…"

A small, compassionate smile curved the corners of Chat's mouth upwards.

"It's okay, don't worry. I'm Chat Noir. I'll explain everything on the way."

oOo

Marinette grimaced as she rolled off the living room sofa, her alarm blaring. As it turned out, she couldn't make it up the stairs to her room with her leg broken and in a cast, so she was sleeping in the living room for a while. Her parents had been nearly back home after their trip to Toulouse had ended a day early, and had rushed to the hospital when they'd received the call that she was there, still with all their suitcases in the back of the car. They'd initially been understandably alarmed but had been calmed when they saw her sheepish smile. They'd tutted, and had driven her home with minimal questioning.

Honestly, Marinette was less worried about her leg, and more concerned about what Chloe would say about her lack of homework. Considering she'd either spent yesterday fighting, in the hospital or being fussed over by her mother-hen parents, she'd had little time for physics. Of course, her parents wrote the school a note which would explain _her_ homework-less-ness, but Chloe (being fully functional in both legs) would have no such note.

Marinette wasn't looking forwards to school.

Propping herself up on her crutches, she hobbled into the bathroom to get changed and ready to school. The majority of her every-day things had been moved downstairs, so her clothes were in a corner of the living room, her pillows and duvet lying over the sofa. The rest of her things were strewn across a couple of rooms. It wasn't ideal, but it was the best she could manage considering she could barely walk.

She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, pausing in her lacklustre hair-brushing attempt. Her face was pale and drawn, both from tiredness and pain. The bags under her eyes were no longer coverable by makeup, and she'd never known how prominent her cheekbones could be. She had to admit- she didn't look good. Her clothes hung loosely off her, and she knew she was practically working herself to death.

But what could she do?

She couldn't risk revealing herself to the world. Her dream from the other night had only reinforced her fear of being found out. Everyone would be so disappointed, they wouldn't trust her or Chat ever again once they knew who she really was.

Thinking of Chat sent flutters of something she didn't want to identify into her stomach. She didn't have time to go into her current feelings for Chat right now, so she shook him out of her head.

Her arms were too tired and heavy to bother putting her hair into ponytails, so she left it down for the first time in years. She hoped the dark curtains would shadow her face enough to hide how haggard it was- at least from her parents.

Marinette left the bathroom with a sigh, still struggling to adjust to the awkwardness of her crutches.

Her school bag sat on one of the kitchen stools, with her lunch bag next to it. She'd have to give her lunch to Chloe to try and appease her over the homework problem.

Sabine arrived to guide her downstairs and through the bakery and Marinette plastered a smile on her face. Tom held the door open for her as she hobbled outside, having persuaded her parents that she didn't need them to walk her to school. She didn't want to risk Chloe saying something incriminating in front of them, and plus- it was about a thirty second walk away.

oOo

Adrien stepped out of his limo into the bright sunlight and stared up at the College Francois-Dupont. After dropping Xavier back at school for the remainder of the day, he'd chosen not to go back himself. He'd de-transformed somewhere secluded, and spent the day wandering around the city, too much on his mind to have focussed on school work. He hadn't slept much either, concerns over Ladybug and Marinette too prominent in his mind.

Adrien sighed. Life wasn't easy and he wasn't looking forwards to another day not knowing the answers he needed. Little did he know, he was going to get more answers in the next hour than he could have imagined.

Nino saw him coming and waved him over. They fist bumped, and strolled into the school together.

"How was Xavier after yesterday?" Adrien asked as they reached Alya, who was near the wall and looking intently at her phone. "My dad didn't let me come back in afterwards, so I never got the chance to find out what happened."

Nino shrugged.

"The usual. Ladybug and Chat Noir saved everyone, yadda yadda yadda. Course, Xavier was pretty shaken up- his first akuma attack and he was the akuma! But everyone sorta banded together to keep Chloe away from him afterwards, and I reckon he's gonna be okay. 'Sup, Alya?"

Alya jumped at her name, dragging her eyes away from her phone.

"Are you okay, Alya? You look, off." Adrien was concerned, but he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"What does this photo look like, to you?" She demanded shoving her phone in the boys' faces. They squinted to see the blurred image of Paris' two superheroes after the akuma attack yesterday and Adrien groaned inwardly.

"Dunno…" muttered Nino. "It's just Chat carrying Ladybug, right? No biggie, Alya."

Alya shook her head.

"It _is_ a biggie, Nino! Why would Chat be carrying Ladybug? She's perfectly capable of handling herself- we know that! I got absorbed by the Scholar yesterday, so I was there when everything went back to normal. Except it _wasn't_ normal. Ladybug could barely stand, and Chat had to hold her up the whole time she was sorting out the butterfly. Then _he_ carried her away before their transformations ran out. I think she got injured."

"Alya, come on." Adrien's mind was too tired for this. "She was probably just tired, and I reckon Chat would take any excuse to get that close to her. I bet it was nothing." _I wish it were nothing._

Alya sighed.

"You're probably right. I'm… just so _desperate_ , y'know? I've been trailing them for ages, and any new information seems like a goldmine. I just want to know anything ab- _what the hell happened to Marinette?"_ Suddenly she dashed across to the doors of the school, where a limping figure was hobbling into view.

Adrien and Nino caught up with her as she stopped in front of Marinette, whose leg was encased in plaster. Her face was even paler than Adrien remembered, her eyes drooping and her cheeks drawn with pain.

Her eyes widened as the three skidded to a halt in front of her. He half-expected her to run out of fear of being caught talking to them by Chloe, but apparently she knew it would be futile. No way were they going to _not_ know what had happened.

"What- Mari- you… _what happened?_ " Spluttered Alya.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Muttered Mari weakly. It was the longest sentence she'd said to any of them in weeks.

"Not as bad as it looks? You're in a cast, Marinette!" Cried Nino incredulously. By this time, most of the class had gathered around her and she looked flustered. Adrien was relieved Chloe hadn't arrived at school yet. She would _not_ have made the situation better.

"What _happened_ , Mari?" Asked Adrien. Something akin to panic flashed through her eyes, and it looked like she was thinking hard.

"I… uh… I fell down the stairs."

Adrien frowned. His heart sped up as he remembered something that seemed a million years ago.

" _You're going to have some fun explaining this away to your folks, huh?"_

" _Not as much as you might expect."_

" _You should tell them you fell down the stairs."_

" _I might take you up on that, kitty."_

Realisation thundered it's way through his body.

Those cerulean eyes, so pretty in and out of the mask…

Her hair, even out of her trademark bunches…

Ladybug's fear and anger after Alya, _her best friend_ , had been taken…

Adrien swallowed and was glad there were enough other people around him to stop Marinette from paying too much attention to him and his shock. He allowed himself to be jostled to the outside of the little crowd, too taken up in his thoughts to push back.

He wondered how he hadn't seen it before. They shared the kindness, the selflessness that had made him fall in love with both of the girls before he'd known they were one and the same. Her strength and power, despite her shyness. The way she always disappeared during akuma fights, the same way he did.

A frown creased his forehead.

The way they'd both gotten thinner, more ill and tired over the last few weeks. The way they'd both been blackmailed over a huge secret, and they'd lost their _joie de vivre_ and happiness because of it.

Adrien's head snapped up as yet another realisation hit him. Anger coursed through him, and he clenched his fists, his jaw clenching in his fury.

 _Because of Chloe Bourgeois._


	13. Chapter 13

I know I say this a lot, but you guys are FREAKING INCREDIBLE! Everyone's reviews are so sweet and encouraging, and I'm so glad I wrote this story! SO THAAANKK YYOOOOUUUU XX

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Adrien's knees wobbled and he was glad he was at the back of the crowd so no-one could see his face. At the rate his emotions were flowing through him, if anyone'd seen him they'd probably have thought he was having a fit.

His rage flashed white-hot through him at the thought of what Chloe had done to his beloved Ladybug… to _Marinette._ He couldn't believe it- _Marinette_? The cute, shy girl he'd recently developed such strong, undeniable feelings for was also the girl he'd been in love with since day one! Adrien couldn't decide whether to curse the world for Chloe Bourgeois' very existence, or thank fate for the unbelievably lucky coincidence in his love life.

He dimly heard the clamour of the agitated students around Marinette, but the sounds were fuzzy, like he was hearing them through a think pane of glass. He swayed slightly, rather overcome. Everything seemed to be happening all at once- the vicious akuma yesterday, Ladybug's injury, Marinette's sudden accidental reveal, his new-found, overwhelming _loathing_ for Chloe. Now he knew what she'd been holding over Marinette, now he knew it was _her fault_ Ladybug had been too tired to protect herself yesterday… the thought of the blonde had him gritting his teeth and his eyes darkening.

Suddenly, the bell rang for the start of lessons and he was brought out of himself abruptly. The crowd dissipated and everyone peeled off to their various rooms. Adrien didn't trust himself to make eye contact with anyone, so he dashed up the stairs to his classroom. He sat in his seat with his eyes firmly trained on the desk as the rest of the class filed in around him. He could feel a couple of questioning glances trained on his back but he ignored them.

The second bell rang to signal the end of movement time as Nino took his seat next to him, and Adrien frowned as he looked behind himself carefully. He couldn't see Mari in peripheral vision, and he didn't remember seeing her come into the classroom. Where was she? The teacher entered, and began the class.

He was distracted as Chloe sauntered into the classroom late, popping some bubblegum in her mouth. He fought the urge to storm up to her and slap her fake blonde hair off her head, but he managed to decide against it. He'd have to find some other way to get back at her and help Marinette in the process.

But where _was_ Marinette?

It was a couple of minutes later into the class when she finally appeared, battling to manoeuvre her bulky crutches through the door. Her face was pale and drawn from pain and she was out of breath.

"S-sorry I'm late, Madame." She panted, struggling to wipe a strand of her hair out of her face. Adrien noted it wasn't in its usual ponytails, and despite everything, managed to notice how cute it looked.

 _Not the time, Agreste!_ He scolded himself inwardly as Marinette hopped further into the room, pink blush gracing her pallid cheeks as she saw everyone looking at her.

"I, uh, had a little trouble getting up the stairs to the classroom." She explained, and Adrien felt a stone of guilt drop into his stomach. Of _course_ it would have been difficult for her to make her way up to the classroom. He couldn't believe he hadn't stayed to help her- and with a quick glance at Nino and Alya's embarrassed faces, he could tell it had slipped their minds too.

Mari's bulky cast and awkward crutches had clearly not been manufactured with a quick getaway in mind, not even factoring in how much pain it must have caused her to make her way up on her own. As Marinette hobbled sheepishly and silently past him, he watched, and suddenly saw a smirk from across the aisle as Marinette let out a hiss of pain. Adrien frowned again.

Chloe had only arrived a couple of minutes before Mari- which meant she'd probably passed her as she'd struggled towards the classroom. And she hadn't helped her! She'd let the girl (who'd only been injured in the first place because of her) climb the precarious stairs on her own. Adrien had never hated her more.

Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned over to Marinette and touched her arm. She looked at him in surprise, stilling in place.

"Marinette," _Ladybug,_ he added mentally. "Why don't you take Nino's seat? That way you don't have to go up the stairs to your seat, and you can get to the door easier at the end of class."

Marinette didn't say anything, her gaze frozen on where his hand rested on her arm. Adrien looked pointedly at Nino, who almost tripped over himself as he scrambled to get up in his willingness to do anything to help.

"Yeah, cool, that's cool, I'll move. Uh, you sit here Mari, I'll move okay? Yeah, you sit by Adrien… okay."

"That's a very nice idea, Adrien." Announced the teacher, gesturing for Marinette to sit next to the blond. Mari turned and hopped round the desk, then slid along the bench nervously. The teacher gave him an approving nod, then turned back to the lesson.

Adrien wasn't oblivious to the looks that were being shot his way by an incensed Chloe, but he didn't care about them. As far as he was concerned, Chloe could go… do something very rude to herself. No way was he going to sit by any longer and let this blackmail continue- especially now it had resulted in the girl(s) he loved getting injured.

He was still struggling to compute the fact that Ladybug and Marinette were one and the same. Was it cruel of fate, or just an amazing coincidence?

Mari didn't want anyone to know, that much was extraordinarily obvious. He didn't wonder why, but simply pondered how he could show his support. He couldn't just be another reluctant bystander in the little power play, not now he knew how close he really was to the situation.

Various scenarios and possibilities ran through his head. He felt drained from his near-breakdown after his realisation earlier and the complex mathematics the teacher was explaining just wasn't computing. He was about ready to bang his head against the desk in frustration at the world and everything in it, when a whisper came from the seat to his left.

"Thank you."

He nearly didn't hear it, so caught up in his thoughts about the girl next to him that he wasn't actually paying any attention to her when she spoke. There were buzzes of conversation from the class around them who seemed to be doing some sums from off the blackboard, so the murmur was nearly drowned out.

But he turned slightly to look at Mari, whose eyes were firmly trained on her own work book. She didn't want Chloe to notice the conversation, he assumed. So he turned back to face the front and asked the next question as quietly as he could.

"For what?"

Mari shrugged slightly.

"E-everything, I guess."

He turned to look at her again. The loose curtain of hair framed her face as she stared downwards. A gentle frown creased her still scarily-ashen forehead. Adrien wasn't sure he'd ever get used to seeing her so ill and lifeless. But he listened nonetheless.

"What do you mean?" He asked gently.

"Well, letting me sit here for a start. Stairs are kinda… hard right now. I'm not the most graceful at the best of times and considering it hurts every time I move… yeah, stairs are a bad idea."

Another flash of guilt rocked through Adrien as he remembered how she'd been left to deal with the stairs up to the classroom alone.

"And for you being so supportive over the last couple of months. Same goes for Alya and Nino, I guess. But I did notice you guys helping me, even in those little ways you thought Chloe wouldn't notice it. I- I really appreciate it, and I appreciate the way you guys haven't been… prying and stuff. It's… yeah. So thank you."

"Of course." He replied softly. "Anytime." He thought she was finished and turned back to face the front when she said the last part.

"And… thank _you_ , especially, for… not h- hating me."

His mouth popped open slightly and he turned to stare at her.

"W- what? Why would I hate you? I could never hate you, Marinette. How could you think I might?"

Surprised by the intensity in his voice, Mari looked up at him and he realised this was the most he'd heard her speak since that first morning with Chloe and the rubbish bin.

"Well… all that, that stuff I said to you. Those _horrible_ things, I… there was that day where I put Chloe's stuff in the bin for her, and I…" she swallowed nervously, "I called you a… spoiled little rich boy. Then I ignored you all f- for a month and a half and y- you were all still so k- kind! Then the other day outs- outside Mr Damocles' office you were so c- concerned and I just blew you off. I- I… I was scared you were going to h- hate me. I deserved it. I was so horrid and n- never gave anything b- back to you guys because I was scared of wh- what Chloe might do if sh-" Suddenly Marinette broke off with a squeak, her eyes wide with panic.

Adrien knew she was worried she'd revealed something she shouldn't have, regarding her status with Chloe. She didn't know that they'd basically had the situation pegged as blackmail from day one, much less that Adrien had actually figured out her secret that very morning.

"I, I mean, um… I couldn't say… y- you guys were, uhh-" Marinette spluttered, attempting to cover herself.

Adrien discreetly put one of his hands on her fluttering ones. She froze and stared up at him, big blue eyes filled with unreadable emotions.

"Marinette, please." His voice was low and quiet but passionate. "We've had it figured since day one that Chloe was holding something over you. We don't begrudge you your secret, not me, nor Alya and nor Nino. We certainly don't hate you for it."

She stared down at their entwined hands, biting her lip.

"But all those things I said… to you and Alya…" she whispered.

"Forgotten." Adrien told her firmly. "We knew you didn't mean them the second you said them. And we're more than happy to keep supporting you from the side lines, if that's where you want us to stay. We'd love for you to confide in us, of course, but we respect your privacy and accept that some secrets need to stay hidden. We're here for you Marinette. I'm… I'm here. As long as you need me, I'm here." He repeated the words he'd said to her not so long ago as Chat, hoping to console her and (just maybe) sent her some sort of hint?

The second intention of his words went unnoticed, but she did seem comforted. She look up at him, eyes brimming with tears. A half-smile lifted the corners of his mouth, hoping to elicit one from her.

"Thank you." She whispered again. They held the gaze for another few moments, until the bell rang for the end of the lesson.

Marinette gave a start, and drew her hands away. She blinked like she was coming out of a trance, then rushed to pack her things away. Adrien turned to do the same as the students thundered past him, down towards the door. He turned to wave a little goodbye wave to Mari when a yellow blur marched past him to halt in front of the bluenette.

"Excuse me, Marinette." Sneered Chloe, her voice sickly-sweet but everything else about her screamed _dangerous!_ Adrien tensed. She folded her arms and glared at Marinette who appeared to have frozen in fear.

"Y-yes, Chloe?" She squeaked, tremors rocking her weak frame.

"Might I have a word?"


	14. Chapter 14

Your reviews made me giggle so loudly that my sister heard me from downstairs... THIS IS A GOOD THING because you guys are the absolute best! This time, I have another question for you guys: do you want this to end in a **comedic** way **,** a **heart-breaking** way **,** or a **little bit of both**? Let me know, and I'll finish writing this sucker ASAP! I'm still a while from the end, but I need to sort of plan ahead... ENJOY! xx

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Marinette's un-plastered knee trembled at the malevolent look on Chloe's face. She should have known she wouldn't get away with sitting by and talking with Adrien the whole lesson, but it had been so nice she'd managed to put Chloe's inevitable revenge out of her mind. Now though, she almost regretted the conversation. Almost.

"O-of course, Chloe." Marinette whispered miserably.

Chloe folded her arms and waited for the rest of the students to straggle out of the classroom for the morning break. Finally, it was just her, Marinette and Adrien.

The blond boy had halted in the act of slinging his bag over his shoulder at the sound of Chloe's voice. He stared from one girl to the other, sensing the tension and seeing the fear in Marinette's face and body language. Marinette's eyes flickered to him, and for the first time, Chloe seemed to notice he was there. She frowned, as if irritated, then she leaned into him, clearly trying to look seductive.

"Don't worry, Adrihoney." She purred. Adrien wanted to vomit. "This will just take a minute, I promise! I just need to have… a little _talk_ with Maritrash here about a minor thing, and then I'll be right out to spend break with you. Why don't you go wait in the hall for me, _mon cheri?_ " She blinked her big blue eyes at him, and a shudder of disgust rocked through him. Her eyes weren't bright and azure like Marinette's, they were pale and washed out, nearly grey. A smirk lingered on her lips and he looked past her suddenly unattractive face to where Mari looked like she was about to be sick- but whether it was from fear or from Chloe's leering, he couldn't tell.

He swallowed and looked back at Chloe, whose face was still stomach-curdlingly close to his. He clenched his jaw.

"No way."

Chloe blinked, and he heard a slight intake of breath from Marinette. Warning bells went off in his head, trying to tell him that maybe this was a bad idea, but he ignored them.

"What was that, Adrikins?" Chloe pouted and pulled away, much to his relief. But that didn't assuage the fury that was coursing through him.

" _No_." He repeated emphatically.

Chloe forced a tinkling, girlish laugh. She tried to appear nonchalant and blasé, but he could tell she was off-put. She clearly hadn't been expecting resistance- but she was sure as hell going to get some.

"I'm terribly sorry, Adribabes, but I'm still unclear as to what you're saying 'no' to."

"All of it." Adrien's chest was heaving, and he felt like he'd just run a mile.

" _Adrien_ …" whispered Marinette faintly, whether it was a warning or a plea, he didn't know. He flicked his eyes to her from Chloe and saw the aghast expression on her face. The voice in the back of his head told him to stop, but he didn't care. He was too angry to care.

"All of it." He said again, and a slight frown crossed Chloe's face. "I am not your _honey,_ I am not your _Adrikins._ Marinette is not called _Maritrash,_ and she deserves better than to be called that, _especially_ from you. I am not going to be spending break time with you, and I am not idly standing outside while you have your _little talk_ with Marinette. She deserves better than to be your slave, Chloe! You don't deserve to be anywhere near her, and you need to recognise that you won't be getting away with your little extortion scheme for much longer. I'm telling you now, Chloe Bourgeois, that you had better _watch your step_ around me in the future. And, you should also know that I'm going to _stop_ this… whatever it is. No matter what. _Got it_?"

There was a very long silence.

Adrien could feel the rage-red energy pounding through him, and his nails were biting into his palms where his clenched fists were tightening with every passing second. Chloe looked like he'd slapped her (which he'd had to stop himself forcefully from doing) and her mouth was popped open. Marinette looked like she was about to faint, her face pallid and her body shaking like a leaf.

Finally, someone moved. Chloe shook her head slowly but darkly, a sneer crossing her lips.

"Huh…" She turned to speak to Marinette, who backed away instantly. "You've really worked your _magic_ on him, haven't you, Maritrash?"

Marinette flinched. Adrien's heart dropped suddenly, and he caught the stress Chloe had put on the word _magic._ She was referencing Ladybug… His heart slowed as he saw the fear on the bluenette's face. Reason managed to work its way into his pounding head, and he suddenly recoiled. Guilt washed over him as he realised his protective anger was probably, actually, far less heroic than it was idiotic.

Oh god. He hadn't helped at all. He'd just made things much worse.

"Chloe…" Whimpered Marinette, her eyes pleading. She reached out slightly, and Chloe pushed her hands away.

"Ugh. Don't touch me, _Maritrash_!"

"Chloe!" Cried Adrien, anger rushing over him again before he could make himself calm down. Did she not hear what he'd _just_ said?! Who did this girl think she was? Marinette was Ladybug, the heroine of Paris, not to mention the most tender-hearted, decent person anyone had ever met. Chloe had already tortured her more than enough- her leg was broken, for god's sake!

Chloe ignored him. She turned and stalked to the door, pausing with her hand on the doorknob. She didn't glance back as she spoke, but her commanding, disparaging tone carried well enough through the room that Adrien and Marinette could hear her perfectly well.

"We'll continue this later, little _Litter Bug_. Isn't it a fortnight since you last came and cleaned, anyway? Five, _sharp,_ ready to scrub some toilets, okay? Plus, we've definitely got some things to discuss. We might have to rearrange the terms of our agreement, but to be honest I'm not sure if I want to keep it. You'll have to come up with something good." At this point, she did turn round, casting a sickly smile in Adrien's direction.

"Don't worry, Adrien honey, I don't blame you. I'll consider forgiving you for this, but you might have to find a way to make it up to me. I know our Mari's quite persuasive when she wants to be. I bet she wrapped you round her little finger with those big doe eyes, hmm? She's quite miraculous in her little pity show. That's something I bet you didn't know… But chances are, there's a lot you don't know about little Maritrash, here. But I have a feeling that's all going to come out in the open soon, don't you Marinette?"

With that, the blonde flounced out of the room, and the door slammed behind her with an almighty crash.

Adrien stared at it for a second, distraught. He knew for sure he'd made things _so_ much worse. He turned to Marinette, aiming to comfort her, but she backed away, shaking her head. Her crutches clacked loudly on the wooden floor as she recoiled. A hiss of pain escaped her mouth at the movement.

"Do you know what you've done?" Marinette whispered, tears pooling in her terrified eyes. "Do you have _any_ idea what you've done?"

"Marinette," Adrien began desperately. He _did_ know what he'd done and he was horrified at his thoughtless fury. Instead of making things better with his protectiveness and righteousness, he'd all but guaranteed that Chloe would reveal Marinette. Would reveal _Ladybug._ Neither girl would ever forgive him, and Chat's relationship with both girls would be effectively ruined. Not to mention the damage he'd have done to Mari's life. If Hawkmoth knew who Ladybug was, he could use her family as bait, he could blackmail her into handing over her Miraculous… Adrien bit his lip, wanting dearly to reveal that he knew her but was fairly certain it wouldn't be a comfort. "I- I'm sorry…"

Looking into his earnest, guilt-washed eyes, Marinette started to cry softly.

"Adrien… I- I'm sorry too. I've k- kept a t-terrible secret… but tomorrow, y- you'll know. Everyone w- will know."

A quiet spread between them and Adrien felt like he was going mad. Everything was going wrong. He made an odd and strangled noise in the back of his throat as he struggled to find the right words to say.

Marinette looked down at the floor and closed her eyes. Even at this distance, he could see the tears on her face and the defeat in her stance.

"I… I need you to go."

Adrien swallowed. He needed to tell her he knew, and that he didn't care. He needed to tell her who he was.

"Marinette, I can't." He whispered instead.

"Please, I n- need some time alone. I'll… I think a lot of th-things are going to change a lot tonight, okay? And I n- need to… I just need to think, to g- get myself ready. So p-please, Adrien, just go."

He'd been in this situation with her twice before- needing to help and comfort her, with her pushing him away. He hadn't succeeded either time. But this time it was his fault. He had to make things right. He had to tell her.

"Mari, listen. Your secret, the one Chloe knows…"

Marinette looked up at him, her eyes wide and fear-filled, but that didn't dissuade him. He was going to tell her. He was going to say he was Chat. He was going to say he knew she was Ladybug. He was going to say he'd been in love with her since they'd first met, he was going to say it all.

"I…"

The bell rang.


	15. Chapter 15

I'm so sorry this is late, guys! Work was absolutely frantic and I couldn't get home before 10 :( This fic is absolutely one of my top priorities right now, so I edited and proof-read as soon as I got back! I hope you guys enjoy xx

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Marinette didn't say another word for the rest of the day. Students had flowed into the room the second the bell stopped ringing, and Adrien was 100% sure he didn't want to tell her his secret in front of their peers.

After handing over two bags of her bakery's delicacies to Chloe (hers and Chloe's), Marinette had spent all of lunch in the library, with a book open in front of her. But from a niche across the room, Adrien noticed she didn't turn a single page the entire time. The library wasn't an ideal place for the identity reveal either.

In lessons, she was silent, and didn't make eye contact once. Adrien briefly considered writing it down, but this didn't seem like the sort of thing one would put on paper.

Marinette was allowed to leave the classroom five minutes before the end of class so she could get down the stairs slowly and safely, so she'd likely be halfway home before he was out of the classroom. He had no chance to say anything else to her all day.

Thoroughly frustrated and miserable, Adrien listened to the clacking of her crutches fading as she limped away, and leaned back in his chair. Neither he nor his neighbour had gotten much work done today, and his worksheet remained almost blank. He knew he'd pay for his inattention in the test next week, but right now he didn't care.

There was a maelstrom of turmoil churning in his insides and a myriad of emotions buzzing in his head; not exactly the recipe for concentration.

Seeing someone miserable was always awful, and now Adrien knew how much he _loved_ that someone, he was distraught. He was furious at himself for both his interference with Chloe earlier (which would undoubtedly bring yet more punishment and torture upon Marinette) and his inability to see what was now so _blatantly obvious._ He was thoroughly embarrassed- he claimed to be in love first with Ladybug, then was definitely on the way there with Marinette, and only worked out they were the same person when he noticed they'r both broken their leg? He was pathetic.

Adrien's anguish over his outburst at Chloe earlier was eating away at him, too. Honestly, he didn't give a damn about what impact he'd had on Chloe, hurting her feelings was not something he cared much about anymore. He was just so upset with himself for undoubtedly making life harder for Marinette. Chloe was seemingly convinced that Marinette had forced or influenced him into saying those things, and in order to placate her, there would have to be more torture and punishment.

Ladybug was already so frail and exhausted, and he didn't want to find out what would happen if her condition was to worsen. The way Chloe had made it sound, meant that Marinette was going to be forced into more duties and have to be even more enslaved to Chloe in order to keep her secret (and therefore everyone she loved) safe.

 _What had he done?_

The jangling of the bell jolted him out of his self-loathing, and he gave a start. He shovelled his belongings into his school bag, deciding to go over to the bakery immediately, to apologize and try to make up for his blunder. Maybe knowing that she had Chat and Adrien's support would make this just a tad bit easier on her…

He had barely gotten outside the school building when his phone rang. He groaned and looked longingly in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He glanced back and forth between his phone and the bakery a couple of times before sighing and answering the call.

"Yes, Nathalie?" Adrien asked dully as he pressed it to his ear.

"Adrien, your father has re-scheduled your Teen Vogue picnic shoot from tomorrow to today. Your driver will take you to the site. Apologies for any inconveniences." With that, Nathalie hung up, and Adrien growled as he stuffed his mobile back into his bag. Though she'd apologised, she hadn't exactly sounded remorseful. He knew she just did whatever Gabriel told her to, with only seldom moments of actual intuition or initiative.

Seeing his driver and car waiting for him, he considered just running off to the bakery anyway- what was more important? Marinette, or some stupid photo shoot? The answer was obvious, but he knew which one he'd get into more trouble for not doing. Probably. If he ditched the shoot, his father would be furious and would make it that much harder for him to find a way to be Chat Noir. If he didn't go to Marinette, he ran the risk of something drastic happening between her and Chloe, and the increased risk that Ladybug would be revealed might be his fault.

Almost as if sensing Adrien's indecisiveness, his driver got out of the car to hold open the boy's door for him. It was almost a challenge- _are you going to get in like a good boy, or am I going to have to chase after you?_ Adrien knew that the driver would catch him in seconds, and also knew it would be less painful and humiliating to just get in the damn car. So he did.

Maybe, if he was a good little model and the shoot finished quickly, he'd have time to talk to Marinette before she went to Chloe's.

oOo

Marinette was having a panic attack, and couldn't calm herself down. She was glad she hadn't knocked on Chloe's door yet, as seeing her so terrified and flustered would doubtless have made the other girl very happy. Leaning back against the wall of the hotel, she placed a hand on her forehead and tried to hold back the tears and gasps.

Usually she walked to the hotel, but her parents decided to drive her as it would have taken her about an hour to get there on foot. This meant Marinette had been forced to freeze a smile on her face for the whole ten-minute drive so they wouldn't see the terror in her eyes and get intrusive. She nearly broke down and told them not to take her, but she managed to hold herself together. The risk of being revealed was already skyrocketing, and she knew that tonight would be make-or-break with Chloe. But, as awful as tonight was going to be, if she didn't go then the entirety of Paris would doubtless know her secret by tomorrow morning.

Marinette managed to calm her breathing, and steadied herself. She raised her fist, and knocked gently on the door. It was thrown open a moment later by a disgustingly exuberant Chloe.

"Ah, Maritrash, you're here! I have to be honest, I did think you weren't going to show up, and then I'd have had no excuse not to reveal your pathetic little secret to the entire city, but… here you are. Get in, get in, come on! You've a lot to do tonight, little Litter Bug."

Marinette hopped in cautiously, and gasped at the mess Chloe had made in the luxurious but gaudy apartment. Clothes were strewn everywhere, with plates scattered across the room. As she passed Chloe's personal bathroom, she saw the amount of spilled water on the floor, and knew Chloe had made the mess just for her. How nice.

"Well, Maritrash, you've been here enough to know the ropes. Get going." Chloe flounced away, gesturing at the bucket of cleaning supplies Marinette was all-too familiar with. She frowned.

That was it? No ultimatum? No threats, no begging, no teasing?

As Mari stood unsure, Chloe glanced round and smirked. She knew exactly what was going on, and was thoroughly going to enjoy tonight.

"Ah. I bet you're wondering why I haven't initiated that little _chat_ we were going to have earlier before you got my darling Adrikins all riled up."

Marinette stiffened.

"Well, I decided that I liked having you as my servant too much to simply out you. So, I'm going to let you do one last job for me," (Marinette's heart stopped) "and then we shall… _discuss_ the terms of our agreement. Capiche? Well, chop chop." Chloe flung herself onto her bed and flicked through a magazine, evidently smug and very proud of herself.

Marinette stood frozen for another minute, then looked down at Chloe's bucket of cleaning things. She felt sick. Chloe was taunting her, teasing her. She had no idea whether Chloe was going to reveal her tonight or not, and if the blonde was going to do it anyway then she didn't want to spend her last night scrubbing a bathroom that had been made purposefully dirty, and cleaning clothes that probably hadn't even been worn. But if Chloe wasn't planning on revealing her, and then she gave her a reason to… she'd be shooting herself in the foot.

What was she going to do?

Chloe, of course, knew exactly what was going through Marinette's head again, and called out from her position on the bed.

"Better get going, Litter Bug. This room won't clean itself, and you wouldn't want to give my finger a reason to slip and accidentally press _send,_ would you?" She waved her phone in the air, and Marinette knew what she had to do.

As much as she detested bowing to Chloe's will, if she behaved then there was a chance she'd make it out of there with her secrets intact.

So she swallowed her pain, anger, humiliation and fear, and got to work.

oOo

"Uhh, Chloe? I- I've finished." Announced Marinette nervously, some two and a half hours later. Chloe's apartment was spotless, her clothes folded and hung up and her shoes neatly stacked. Her bathroom had been thoroughly mopped and dusted, and her dirty crockery had been painstakingly hobbled down to the kitchens.

"Very good, Litter Bug. You've improved, I must say." Commented Chloe, surveying her room smugly. She saw Marinette looking at her fearfully and held back a gleeful chuckle. She was going to enjoy this.

"So… now I think it's time for our little chat, don't you?" She said sweetly, and led the way over to her bed. She lay on it and stretched luxuriously, while Marinette stood awkwardly, her leg screaming in pain. She didn't dare say anything, though.

"So Maritrash. How are you going to buy my silence this time?"

Marinette's mouth moved up and down blankly, no words coming out. She had no idea. What more could she do? She was already working herself to death.

"Um, I… C-Chloe, I don't th-think there's anything more I _c-can_ do…" She stammered weakly.

Chloe tutted.

"Well, that just won't do, will it? After what you put my poor little Adrikins and I through today, there's no way I can let you get off scot-free. So come up with something good, or you might find a _miraculous_ amount of photographers outside your house tomorrow morning."

Marinette whimpered, tears pooling in her eyes.

"C-Chloe, please… don't reveal me. Everyone I l-love will be put in danger from Hawkmoth, I'll n-never be able to look anyone in th-the eye again…"

Chloe laughed and it was a shrill, cruel sound. "Yes… not to mention how _disappointed_ everyone will be to find out that their amazing heroine is none other than a pathetic baker's girl… I can just imagine Alya's betrayal, Chat Noir's despondence... you've lied to everyone, Marinette. You're not amazing at all, you're no heroine. You're _nothing_ without your mask, so you'd better give me a really good reason not to rip that mask right off." Chloe stood as she talked, a feverish excitement growing in her sadistic face as she watched Marinette crumble.

"Chloe, p-please… there's nothing m-more I can do. I- I'm working myself to death, everyone in the city was p-put in danger yesterday because I was s-so tired I let myself g-get injured. P-please, I promise I'll never t-talk to Adrien again, I'll make sure you get g-good grades on all your homework, but p-please don't make me d-do anything else, I can't, please..."

Marinette saw the satisfaction grow on the loathsome blonde's face as she watched her enemy beg and sob. Her hands shook on her crutches as she realised there was nothing she could do.

"That's very disappointing, I must say. I quite enjoyed having a servant around the place who did my homework as well as my cleaning. But then again, it will be just as nice knowing I've ruined your life." Chloe stood up from her bed and approached Marinette as she spoke, evil glee glinting in her pale eyes. Marinette sobbed again as she watched Chloe take her phone out of her pocket, leering at her in satisfaction.

A panic took hold of Marinette as she watched her doom come nearer. Chloe cackled, selecting the photo she wanted to upload to all of her social media- which were followed by the majority of Paris. Soon, that photo would be everywhere, and Marinette and Ladybug's life would, indeed, be over.

 _She had to do something._

Before she could stop herself, Marinette made a desperate lunge towards Chloe, her hands reaching out to grab the phone. Chloe saw her coming and sidestepped, planting her hand on Marinette's back as she did so. Without her crutches and with the added force of Chloe's shove, Marinette's broken leg gave way, and she crumpled, crying out in pain and despair as she did so. Chloe laughed openly as the broken girl gasped through her tears to clutch at her leg.

"You're so pathetic." Chloe told her, raising her voice to be heard over the agonised cries. She crouched down to Marinette's eye level, a safe distance away. "I can't believe I ever looked up to you… I can't believe anyone ever did. But that's all about to change, isn't it?" Chloe sat cross legged as Marinette sobbed on her floor.

"Chloe… _no…_ please."

"Too late, Maritrash. Welcome to ruin." Chloe's eyes glittered as her finger swooped towards the _send_ button, and one of her feet snaking out to kick Marinette's broken leg in a last-ditch attempt to make the girl feel any more pain.

Marinette screamed once more, and the girls were showered in broken glass as the window behind them exploded.


	16. Chapter 16

SQUEEEEEEE! I like this chapter, and I think a lot of you will, too! In response to all those people telling me I should update soon, I really appreciate how much you guys love this story, and love how eager you are to read more, it makes me really happy! But I do have commitments and scheduled events. So you should all know that I will update this every day, and the new chapter will usually be posted between 5pm and 10pm, Greenwich Mean Time (English). If I don't manage to post one day, I'll probably post two the next day to compensate, but I do have lots of things going on in my life, so that's the only situation in which a double update is likely to occur. I'm also going to heighten the rating of the fic to K+, because I want to get a little descriptive, especially in some of the later chapters. I'm sure it wouldn't matter if I didn't as it's not going to be _much_ more mature, so it's only to be on the safe side, because it's going to get more intense both violence-wise and in other ways... But no spoilers! Thank you all for your continued support, but I'm going to get going on more chapters! xx

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Marinette's anguished screams altered into a cry of surprise as the glass rained down on her. A _thud_ echoed as something landed on the floor next to her, and she screamed again from fear, and as the pain from her leg escalated. Chloe was screeching as Mari curled up and threw her hands over her head to try and protect herself. A haze of pain settled over her, and tears blurred her vision. There was a bellow in the background, but she barely heard it over the roaring in her head.

Sobs wrenched themselves out of her chest in both agony and despair. _She was over._ Chloe was still shrieking unintelligibly, the only words she could make out were something about "it's the only one." Marinette just lay on the floor, in too much pain to move. Her leg throbbed agonizingly, and she could feel the broken glass lying on and around her.

Suddenly, there were hands on her arms, and she flinched. The hands tried to pry her arms off her face, and she flailed, trying to push the _whoever_ away. She cried out as her leg jarred, and an intake of breath from the other person was what made her lower her hands just a little.

Her pain-filled eyes focused on green. Emerald stared into sapphire as gasps fell out of her mouth. Chloe's yelps subsided into mutters as Marinette gazed at Chat Noir.

His face was terrifying- his mouth curled into a snarl, eyes as angry as she had ever seen them. There was an incredible intensity in his eyes as they stared at her and he was breathing heavily, like he'd just run a mile. His hands were hard but also gentle on her forearms and his darted over her face like he was memorising it.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Shrieked Chloe from across the room, and Chat stood up suddenly. He advanced menacingly towards Chloe, his tail twitching agitatedly behind him as he stalked across the room. Chloe blanched as he neared, the sneer leaving her face as she saw the expression he wore. Something crunched under Chat's feet, and Marinette saw the shattered remains of the blonde's phone.

"I know exactly who you are, Chloe Bourgeois." Hissed Chat, close up against Chloe as she backed up. "And you know what that means?"

She shook her head in fear, and Marinette couldn't seem to make herself move.

"Well, that means you can't hide from me. So I'm telling you now, Miss Bourgeois: _leave Marinette alone._ If you _ever_ speak to her again, if you _ever_ threaten to reveal her again, I will hunt you down and I _assure_ you, you will regret it."

With that, Chat turned and swiftly crossed the room, stopping only to pick up the pieces of Chloe's phone. He tucked them away, then gathered first Marinette and then her crutches into his arms, and without another word, jumped out of the window.

The wind stung at her face as Chat whipped through the darkness. Tears poured down her face, her leg screaming at her. So many emotions riled through her, and Marinette couldn't focus on any one of them.

She didn't know how long they ran for, but it seemed like an eternity. Chat's arms were strong underneath her, his chest warm behind her. She nestled into him, his suit soaking up her tears as she wept out her pain and fear. She gazed out at the darkened streets of Paris as they flew by, and suddenly realised where his path was leading them.

"No- no, don't take me home." She begged, touching him lightly on the arm. He looked down at her with an odd expression on his face, and changed direction.

Finally, they touched down. Chat landed softly in an alleyway, setting Marinette down so her back was against the wall. He winced as she cried out, and the anger that still hung on his face was replaced by sadness, and second-hand pain. He reached out softly, and stroked a tentative finger down her face. Marinette whimpered as she stared up at him.

Something crossed his face, and suddenly he surged forwards, his arms snaking around her back to pull her into a warm embrace. She buried her face in his chest again. He stroked her hair comfortingly as she clung to him, the heat seeping through his suit to her chilled body. He rocked her gently and her gasps subsided.

"Chat…" She breathed his name like it was a lifeline. In response, his arms tightened around her torso, nestling his face into the top of her head.

"I'm here. I'm here, and I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Marinette pulled back slightly to look at him. He gazed back at her, stroking a strand of hair out of her face.

"Wh- what for?"

Chat looked uncomfortable, but kept his hands on the top of her arms to maintain the contact they both craved.

"I- I could have been there earlier. I could have stopped this."

Mari frowned, the tears drying on her face and glinting in the moonlight.

"What do you mean? H- How did you know where I was?"

"I already knew. I knew who you were, and I knew who was blackmailing you. I had the chance to tell you I knew… but I didn't, I put myself and my comfort first. I'm… so sorry, Marinette."

"Y- you knew? You knew who I was?"

Chat nodded, and Marinette closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall behind her. He watched her nervously, still crouched in front of her.

"How long?" She murmured after a few moments.

"What?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him, her mouth curved into a grimace.

"How long have you known who I was?"

"Since yesterday." He lied, knowing that if he told the truth then she'd probably work out who he was. He desperately wanted her to know, but he wasn't sure if she wanted to. She wasn't ready, and they already had enough to discuss. "Since your reaction when the Ladyblogger, Alya, got absorbed by the Scholar. Then I saw you walking around earlier with your broken leg and knew for sure. I'd heard some of my friends who're in your class talking about you and Chloe Bourgeois, and knew who'd discovered your identity."

Marinette nodded slowly. She didn't speak for a while, but she shivered, then winced when the action jarred her leg. Chat knew she needed to go to a hospital or home to her parents, but also knew he had no intention of leaving her.

Finally, he couldn't take the silence anymore.

"What's wrong? I destroyed Chloe's phone before she could hit send, the photo's gone, and I checked- that was the only device which she had the photo on. It's over… you're free, Marinette."

Marinette closed her eyes and ducked her head.

"Were you disappointed?" She whispered. Chat recoiled.

" _What_?"

Marinette sniffed, tears leaking out from behind her closed eyes.

"When- when you found out. Who I was. W-were you disappointed?"

Chat couldn't speak, his mouth hanging open in shock. Marinette looked up at him, and took his silence as an affirmation of her fears. She sobbed, and covered her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry. Chat, I'm sorry. I'm- I'm not a hero, I know I'm just… just _me_. I've lied to everyone… my family, my friends. Ladybug's lied to you, to Paris. I'm not special, I'm not miraculous at all. I'm just… _pathetic_."

Chat pulled her hands away from her face, and his heart broke when he saw the shattered expression on her face.

"Disappointed? In you? How- _why_ \- I could _never_ be disappointed in you, Marinette. Neither you nor Ladybug could ever disappoint me."

Marinette swallowed, her disbelief and pain evident on her face. She wiped some of the tears of her face, but more just replaced them.

"But… _I'm just Marinette_."

"Mari…' _Just Marinette'_ is the best person I know. I'd never want Ladybug to be anyone else. And Ladybug isn't about the kwami or the suit and yo-yo, she's about _you_ , she's about what's underneath the suit. Anyone can wear a costume and learn to throw a yo-yo, but it takes someone special to put their city's needs in front of their own well-being and health. It takes someone amazing to be brave and kind every day of their life. It takes a hero. And Marinette, you're that hero. Never think you're not good enough, because you are. Both sides of you are more than anyone deserves. And all of Paris, everyone who meets _either_ of them loves them both." He put a hand under her chin and raised it so she was gazing up at him. Her breath fanned across his face as he worked up his courage. " _I_ love them both."

Marinette blinked, her mouth falling open slightly. A breath huffed slowly out of her mouth and something sparked in her mind.

"Y- you love me?" She breathed. Chat gazed at her, his eyes roving over her face.

"Of course." He murmured. "You and Ladybug are the best things in my life. I can't live without either of you, Marinette. I adore you."

 _He loved her- all of her_. She knew half of Paris was enamoured with Ladybug, she knew that Chat had feelings for her. Admittedly, until now, she'd never known just how strong those feelings were. But he loved Marinette too? Shy, clumsy, pathetic, little Marinette?

Warmth spread through her from the middle of her chest and suddenly the pain from her leg didn't seem so strong anymore.

Before she knew what she was doing, her arms reached up around his neck, and understanding barely had time to flicker through his eyes before she was pulling him towards her. She heard a slight intake of breath from her partner before their lips met.

She felt her heartbeat accelerate as she kissed him, and his did, too. One of his hands moved up to cup her cheek, and other snaked round her back to pull her closer to him. Her eyes closed as his mouth moved softly against hers, and she heard a low rumble she recognised as a purr.

Her breath was sweet as she opened her mouth, and he breathed back into her as he mirrored it. The kiss strengthened as they crouched in the dark alleyway, all the pain forgotten. Her hands wound into his shaggy golden hair, and he sucked in a breath. He pressed at the back of her neck to tilt her face up, and intensified the kiss. Then Chat moved so he was kneeling over her, and she pulled him back to her before either of them could catch a breath.

There was a hunger in his stomach, but only to touch her, to be near her. This was all he'd ever dreamed of, and he wished it could last forever. But when he wrapped one of his arms around her waist and twisted her upwards again, she let out a slight cry.

He pulled back and saw the pain on her face as she released him to clutch at her cast.

"Oh- your leg! I'm so sorry, I forgot, I- I didn't mean- Mari…"

His hands fluttered over her as he stammered apologetically, guilt flowing through him. Marinette reached up to grasp at his waving hands, the pain almost (but not entirely) leaving her face as she rushed to placate him.

"Chat- Chat, calm down! It's fine, really." She said soothingly, and his breathing slowed. She was the one in pain, broken and emotionally drained, but she was also the one comforting him? "Hey. I'm okay, honestly kitty."

The nickname was what did it. Tears sprung into Chat's eyes, and Marinette only just had time to register them before he was wrapped around her again, his face nestled into her shoulder. Confused but not unhappy, Marinette tucked her arms round him as he clutched at her.

"I love you, Marinette." He breathed. "And I don't expect you to say it back, not right now anyway. But I need you to know, okay? I love you, and from now on I will always be there for you, whether you're Marinette or Ladybug." His voice cracked as he spoke, overcome with emotion. He pulled back just enough that he could rest his forehead on hers and gaze into her eyes. "And I won't reveal myself until you're ready, I promise. To be honest, I don't think I'm ready for you to know."

A smile tugged at the corners of Mari's mouth as she stared at him.

"Thank you, kitty." She whispered softly. She tilted her face up just enough to press her mouth against his again. Chat barely had time to respond before she pulled away, and he immediately mourned the loss of contact. It was sweeter than their first kiss that night, shorter but more meaningful. They were hesitant and nervous about their feelings and the changes that were doubtless going to affect them. But it was still a good kiss.

Marinette gave a breathy giggle at the dazed, love-struck expression on his face, but it quickly turned into a moan of pain as her leg jolted again.

Chat recoiled, worried that he'd hurt her again.

"We need to get you to a hospital." He ordered, tucking his arms under her a moment later. He lifted her with ease and prepared to jump.

"Really?" She sighed. "I'm sure I'm fine, can't you just drop me home?"

Chat raised an eyebrow.

"Not a chance. You're getting that leg checked out, okay? Doctor's orders."

Marinette giggled again, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. The sound sent shivers of warmth and pleasure shooting through him, and he smiled before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed and there was a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

"Alright." Marinette agreed a little breathlessly. "But just a check-up, okay? I'll just ask them to check how it's healing, I don't want my parents to know."

Chat looked at her, surprised. "You're not going to fight me on this?"

She opened her eyes and grinned.

"I'm not going to argue with my knight in shining leather, am I?"


	17. Chapter 17

I know that the way the chapter finishes makes it seem like the end of the story, but it's just temporary closure- you guys always seem to hate the cliffhangers so I thought I'd give you some respite from the anxiety! I don't have a chapter estimate yet, but we've still got quite a way to go... xx

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A little under an hour later, Chat was twisting open the lock to her skylight as he waited for Marinette to finish saying goodnight to her parents. Everything had gone fine at the hospital, she'd just aggravated the trauma somewhat. The doctors had been surprised that she was back so soon, but she convinced them she was just anxious to know she was staring to heal. Thankfully, there weren't too many questions asked, and no extra lasting damage had been caused. They'd been in and out quickly, then Chat had dropped her off at her front door with a promise to see her soon.

He pressed an ear to her trapdoor and listened. Marinette was now trying to persuade her parents to let her sleep upstairs, insisting that she could manage the staircase. They finally agreed, with the stipulation that she slept on her chaise instead of tackling the ladder up to her bed. She consented, and he heard her kissing her parents goodnight, then brushing her teeth.

It was an agonisingly long time before he heard the clicking of her crutches on the stairs. A minute later, the trapdoor opened and she looked up at him with a grin on her face.

"Hey." She whispered, face to face with him. A second later, he seized her under the arms and lifted her up, a squeak of surprise falling from her lips. She giggled as Chat set her down on her chaise, her rucksack full of pillows and blankets falling from her shoulders. Her crutches were stacked on the floor, and the silence of the night was punctuated by their quiet breaths as he gazed at her, his hands on her cheeks.

"Hey." He murmured back after a while, his quiet breath fanning her face. She smiled even more widely, and the hollows of her cheekbones were thrown into relief. The her thin face was more noticeable in her slightly lighter bedroom than it had been in the alleyway. Suddenly, Chat remembered how weak and frail she had felt in his arms as they embraced in the alley, and he straightened abruptly. Frowning, he looked around her room, noting the piles of homework, designs and notes on her desk.

He looked back at the girl on the chaise, and saw the bags of darkness under her eyes, and the exhaustion she was trying to hide from him.

Marinette noticed the change in atmosphere and reached out for him.

"Chat? What's wrong?"

He took a while to look her in the eye, and a deeper frown graced his features when he did.

"Nearly two months. For nearly two months you worked yourself to death for Chloe Bourgeois." He muttered, anger making bile rise in the back of his throat.

Marinette looked down, and dropped her hands.

"Yeah?"

Chat paced across her bedroom, anxiously.

"Why didn't you say anything, Marinette?" He asked agitatedly, trying to keep himself quiet so her parents wouldn't hear. "I could have done something to help you. I could have prevented your injury."

"I… I couldn't tell you who it was." She replied quietly. He stopped pacing and looked at her. "I knew you'd go after Chloe, and she'd tell you who I was. Even if you managed to stop her from telling anyone else, you'd still know."

"Why is that such a bad thing?" Chat questioned, coming closer. "Do you not trust me?"

"That's part of the reason." She admitted, and Chat jerked backwards. She looked up to see the pain and hurt on his face.

"What? Marinette, I'd never- how, how could you think- I can't believe…"

Panic flashed through her as she realised what she'd said. Marinette struggled to push herself up, to reach out to him.

"No, no- Chat, that's not what I meant, I swear! Chat, look at me, please!" His gaze was unfocused as the hurt rocked through him. She hobbled over to him, and cupped his cheeks with her hands. After a moment, he looked at her, then realised she was standing without her crutches.

"For god's sake, Marinette!" He grabbed her exasperatedly and flew her back to the chaise, forcing her to sit down. She pulled him down next to her, and made him make eye contact with her.

"That came out wrong." She said, trying to get the pain off Chat's face. "I meant… not that. I... well I guess I didn't trust _myself_."

Chat frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I- I guess I didn't trust myself to be good enough for you." Marinette looked down at their interlocked hands. "I wasn't convinced that… that you loved me enough to still love me once you found out who I was."

Chat's intake of breath was barely audible, and she could feel his eyes on her. Suddenly, his hand was under her chin and she was forced to look up at him. His face was closer than she'd expected, and she could see her own reflection in the brightness of his eyes.

He held the position for a moment, then leaned forwards to crush her lips with his. This kiss was harder than the others, more intense. His hands wound in her hair, entrapping her as he leaned her backwards slightly. Her hands rested on his chest as they kissed, a gasp escaping her lips at the sudden passion.

His mouth pressed hers open, and she let out a little squeak. He moved against her and she responded happily, her nervousness and fear melting away in his embrace. She fisted her hands against him torso, and he twisted his head to angle himself better against her mouth. His stomach coiled with satisfaction and happiness, and he could feel her relax, letting go of her insecurities.

Chat kept the kiss going for several minutes, lingering softly against her lips one last time as he finally pulled away. Her eyes were closed and she seemed out of breath. He swallowed and held her face with one hand, keeping the other twisted in her hair. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Does that convince you?" He breathed, waiting for his heart to slow down.

He felt her smile and saw her open her eyes. She gazed back at him.

"Maybe." She whispered back.

"Well maybe I should kiss you again, just to make sure?" He grinned.

"That sounds like a good idea." She nodded, and their lips met again.

oOo

The moon was high in the sky as the two superheroes lay next to each other on Marinette's chaise, their hands entangled between them. The sofa was wide enough that they could lie side by side, but Mari's head rested on Chat's chest.

They weren't talking, but it wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable, satisfied silence. They were near each other and that was enough.

Chat had been thinking hard, though. About a lot of stuff.

Was he ready for Ladybug to know his identity? The reason he'd always wanted to know hers was because he just wanted to be able to love all sides of her. It sounded silly, but he'd never really let himself consider whether or not he was ready to reveal himself. He loved Adrien _and_ Chat, but could Marinette? He knew she had a crush on Adrien, but how would that change when she found out he was also Chat? Would she be upset at how much time they could have been together, but weren't? Could she love them both as one?

He was such a different person when he put on the suit. Swagger, overt confidence and outrageous flirts were what made Chat _Chat,_ and he knew Marinette loved Adrien because he didn't seem like the kind of person who'd have those qualities. Adrien was quieter, calmer and solemn. He wasn't rash or impulsive, like Chat was. He was thoughtful, kind and respectful. Chat was all those things, but they weren't so noticeable next to all his strutting and self-satisfaction. He suddenly realised maybe he wasn't ready to reveal himself; he needed to find out how Marinette _truly_ felt about him- _both_ sides of him.

He also needed to go home and think.

"Mari?" He murmured.

"Mmm?" She mumbled back sleepily. He gently lifted her off him and rested her down on the chaise. She woke up somewhat as he did so, her eyes fluttering open. "Are you leaving?"

"I think it's for the best. You need to sleep, and I need to give my kwami a rest. I'll see you tomorrow though, I promise."

"M'kay." She sighed. "I think I'll persuade my parents to let me take the day off school tomorrow. I don't need to worry about Chloe blowing up if she doesn't get her homework anymore, after all. A day's rest will do me good. Plus, I think I'm going to need to work up some courage in order to actually face Chloe…"

Chat pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're the heroine of Paris, Mari. You can face anything. Plus now she knows I know everything, I don't think she's going to try anything. I can be pretty intimidating if I need to. But I think it's a good idea for you to rest. I'll swing by after school, okay?"

She nodded, and pulled him down so she could place a chaste kiss to his mouth. She pulled back a moment later, but kept her hand against the back of his head to keep him there. She looked like she was trying to tell him something, so he waited. He buried himself in memorising her eyes, her cheeks, her lips and how sweet her breath felt on his face.

"Chat, I... I want you to know... please don't feel like you have to reveal yourself to me because you know my identity, okay?"

Chat smiled. She was making this very easy on him.

"I won't, don't worry. To be honest, I don't think I'm ready to. I have a lot to think about before I do, anyway."

She smirked up at him.

"Awww, are you nervous?" She teased.

"Kinda." He chuckled. "Civilian me is much different from superhero me."

"I'm sure I won't be disappointed." Marinette watched him leap deftly up onto her bed. He gave her his two-fingered salute, and prepared to open her sky-light when a thought occurred to her. She sat up abruptly. "Chat?"

He paused. "Yes, my Lady?"

"I realised… I never told you…" She hesitated, then took a deep breath. She could see the concern in his face, and said the next words all in a rush. "You know, I love you too, right? And I'll love whoever you turn out to be."

A beaming, wide smile spread across his face, and she could see it even through the darkness of her bedroom. He was about to go to her, when his Miraculous beeped, indicating that Plagg was finally getting tired after his hours of transformation.

"That's good to know, princess." He said softly. He blew her a kiss, then pounced up onto her roof, closing the door quietly.

Marinette leaned back onto her chaise, a smile creeping over her face. She loved him, of course she did. But it wasn't until tonight that she'd realised how much- and she knew she couldn't let him leave without telling him.

That night, two teenagers went to sleep with satisfied smiles on their faces. Knowing their loved ones loved them back, they felt they could face anything. Ladybug loved Chat, Chat loved all of Ladybug. It was a good night.

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 **A/N:** EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. That will be all.


	18. Chapter 18

I think I kinda freaked some of you guys out with the A/N at the end of last chapter, but it was just me being emotional over the fluff. Like I said in the A/N at the start of the chapter, we've still got a while to go! As well as writing this, I've started working on a (heartbreaking) one-shot that probably won't be published for a while to be honest... This chapter's kind of action-less, but it's going to pick up again soon! This one was sort of tying up a couple of loose ends before I can move on to the next stage of the story. I think it's cute though... so enjoy! xx

* * *

The sky was bright, the sun was shining, and everything seemed right with the world.

It was two days after the Marinette=Ladybug reveal (or rather the _I know Marinette=Ladybug_ reveal) and Adrien felt like he was on cloud nine. Marinette loved him, Ladybug loved him, the fiasco with Chloe was over, and everything seemed right with… everything. He still was nervous about revealing _himself_ , but decided that when the time came to do it, he'd know. He put it out of his mind, though, as he traipsed up the stairs to the front of the school.

The sun was warmingly brilliant on his back as Adrien reached the top. Classmates were gathered in little bundles of friendship groups, snatches of laughter and conversation darting through the air.

Grinning like a mad thing in his satisfaction, Adrien spotted Alya and Nino hovering by the stairs up to the classroom, and bounced his way over to them. They were deep in conversation, and in his jubilance, didn't notice how sombre they looked.

"Hey, Alya, Nino." He greeted them exuberantly, and they turned to him, apparently confused by his good mood.

"Uh, hey, Adrien." Muttered Alya, while Nino just nodded. He finally cottoned on to the solemn tone of the mood, and Adrien's smile faded slowly.

"Guys? W- what's wrong?" He asked nervously, not wanting his mood to evaporate. The two exchanged looks.

"Well… Mari wasn't in school yesterday." Began Nino. Of course, this was something Adrien (or Chat) knew already, but he'd had a surprise all-day shoot which meant he hadn't been able to go in to school at all. He'd seen Mari in the evening like he'd promised, and she'd seemed fine then. What was the problem? She'd taken a day off like he'd told her to, everything was fine, right?

"Really? Oh." Replied Adrien, trying to act casual. "And that's… bad?"

Alya rolled her eyes.

"Chloe was behaving, uh, _oddly,_ shall we say? She barely spoke for the entire day- normally I'd be ecstatic at the silence, but it got me worried. She kept throwing these really weird glances at Mari's empty seat- like she was scared of it, or something."

Adrien frowned, while Nino nodded his head in agreement.

"Or, I dunno… like she was feeling guilty about something? She was definitely looking shifty." He added, and Adrien had to fight to keep the self-satisfied smile off his face. _She'd got the message, then_. _The 'Leave Mari the hell alone' message._

"Do you think Chloe did something to her?" Asked Alya, her brow creasing as she turned to Adrien. He jumped, coming out of his contented reverie.

"Uh. I…" He spluttered, not knowing how to cover his tracks.

"Like, do you think Mari confronted Chloe or something, and it went too far? Did Chloe accidentally do something to Marinette? Something she'd regret…" Alya trailed off fearfully, and Adrien understood, his hand lurched out to rest on her shoulder before he could stop himself.

"Alya, listen. I'm sure Marinette's fine. Chloe wouldn't dare do anything to her anym- uhhh, _anyway_." He corrected himself mid-sentence. "She's going to hobble through those doors any moment now, a great big smile on her face because she knows she's got amazing, brilliant friends who panic about her having a single day off school, okay? It's going to be fine."

Alya looked vaguely reassured, but also bewildered by the conviction in the blond's voice. The corner of Nino's mouth twitched upwards as he felt calmer too, somehow.

Adrien relaxed somewhat as he felt his friends calm. He believed his words, too- Mari was going to be fine, and Chloe's tyranny over her was over. She and Chat would be happy too, he hoped…

"Thanks, Adrien." Alya gave a little smile. "I've just been so worried about her lately. I want to believe you."

"Yeah- with all that stuff with Chloe, then breaking her leg, I guess we're all a little on Mari-guard." Put in Nino with a wry chuckle. "I just hope this stuff with Chloe ends soon. I don't know how much more of it I can take- let alone poor Marinette."

"Well…" Adrien paused. "I have a good feeling about today. I think it's going to be a turning point of sorts." Seeing his friends looking at him in confusion, he shrugged and said with a smile, "Just a hunch."

The others grinned bemusedly, and suddenly Alya straightened with a gasp, looking past him. She beamed a dimpled smile, and Nino and Adrien turned round in order to see what had made her so happy. Just topping the stairs out at the front of the school was Marinette.

She looked happier than they'd seen her in months- her hair had regained some of it's old bounce and colour had returned to her cheeks- which were no longer haggard and painful. She was by no means back to normal (and was still scarily thin) but her eyes shone and her quiet smile looked real enough to send flutters into Adrien's stomach.

She looked around the courtyard, and spotted the three friends staring at her. She gave a little grin, then started hobbling her way over to them. The three surged forwards to meet her halfway, and as they drew level with her, there was a short silence.

Alya, Nino and Adrien took in her apparent sudden recovery and smiled to themselves. Marinette seemed to be fishing for words and struggling, so Adrien took pity on her and took the first step.

"Hey." He prompted.

Marinette let out a breathy little laugh, a short exhalation that gave away her nervousness.

"Hey," She replied, smiling shyly at the three of them. They waited patiently for what (they hoped) was to come. She nibbled her lip, then looked at each of them in turn. "First off, I think the most important thing is… to say thank you."

Alya and Nino looked taken aback, whereas Adrien just smiled goofily at Marinette, the light blush on her cheeks adorably endearing.

"I know how difficult the last couple of months must have been for you three. I've already said some of this stuff to Adrien, but he needs to hear it again. You were all… so supportive and kind to me, despite me being so difficult, a-and cryptic, and stuff. You guys are just… the best friends that I could ever ask for. That _anyone_ could ask for. I know you guys sort of pegged what was going on, and you made it all so much easier on me with your help and support, and I love you all so much for it.

Which leads me on to my next point- you guys should know that the- ah- _situation_ , I believe, is over. You already know that a certain blonde was- _pressuring_ me into doing certain things, and some of those things involved me being a total bitch to you guys. It also gave me a lot of extra work to do, hence…" She waved at herself, gesturing to her still-exhausted appearance.

"But the incentive that Chloe gave me to persuade me into doing those things is no longer, uh, relevant, I guess? Or rather, I don't think she's going to be forcing me to do anything I don't want to any time soon."

At that, Alya gave a whoop, and threw her arms around her best friend. Marinette's crutches clattered to the ground when Nino leapt into the hug, but with Adrien's added support she was put under no extra strain. She giggled into Alya's embrace, and buried her face in her friends' loving and relieved cuddle.

After pulling back and giving her back her crutches, the three kept their grins on their faces, but Marinette turned a little more serious.

"I know I have no right to ask this of you three, especially after the way I've behaved for the last couple of months, but I would… request that this be buried as soon as possible. I'd really like to forget that any of this happened, and for that to happen, I need to ask one more thing of you." She took a deep breath. "Please don't ask me what I had to do for Chloe, what she was holding over me, or what changed that I might be free again. I know this isn't fair on you, but I hope you trust that it's a big enough secret for me to really need it to stay buried." Marinette pleaded, her eyes large and begging.

Nino rested his hands on her shoulders, and Alya and Adrien nodded their agreement to his words: "Mari- of course we'll respect that. We know how hard this has been on you, and we trust that you trust us enough to know that we'd support and love you, no matter what."

"If you want to tell us anything though, of course you can." Adrien added, his deep and extensive knowledge of the situation notwithstanding as his civilian persona.

"We won't pry," promised Alya. "But I guess if you want to forget this, it means we can't form the 'We Hate Chloe' club like we were planning on?"

"Awww, but I already made t-shirts with the slogan!" Complained Nino, amongst laughs. Marinette smiled a huge smile, and her friends realised how much they'd missed the sight of it.

The bell rang for the start of class, and everyone began the movement to classrooms. Unlike before, Alya, Nino and Adrien stayed back to guide Mari up the stairs, practically carrying her in their eagerness to assist.

They reached the classroom only a couple of minutes late to registration, the class inside chattering away. Marinette stopped, and the others paused as well, looking at her questioningly. She was biting her lip again, looking at the floor.

"There's one more thing I wanted to say to you." She murmured, the mood subdued and more serious than it had been a moment ago. "I… I'm sorry. For everything. This can't have been easy on you guys, and I know it's going to be hard for you to let it go. I'm sorry for asking so much of you, for scaring and upsetting you all. For frustrating you and being so horrible that first day. I can't really say anything else, but you should know that I hated everything I did that alienated me from you guys. The hardest part for me was knowing how much I was hurting you, and… I'm just really sorry." Her eyes closed, Mari stood with her shoulders hunched and her hands clenched tight on the handles of her crutches.

Almost in unison, Nino, Adrien and Alya wrapped their bluenette friend in another hug, this time quieter and softer. A tear escaped from behind her shut eyelids as she felt her friends' love and happiness, and the twinkle returned to her face as she threw her arms around them, too. For the first time in weeks, she could hug her friends, smile and laugh with them.

It felt good to be free.


	19. Chapter 19

THIS STORY IS NOT OVER! Some of you guys seem to be taking the lack of cliffhangers as me giving you permanent closure, but it's only temporary, believe me! I've still got a few chapters planned out for you. You'll know when it's over, and we've still got a way to go. So relax, and enjoy the ride xx

* * *

The moon sent dancing shimmers flying across the surface of the water as Ladybug leapt over it, her chiming laugh echoing off the shadowed buildings around them. She spun through the air, a blissful smile on her face, and Chat was mesmerised in the way the wind sent her bunches bouncing, the way she curled to roll as she fell and came up laughing.

"It feels so good to finally be out of that stupid cast!" She cried in exultation. She spun on the spot, her arms wide and her head thrown backwards in glee. "Look, Chat!"

She demonstrated just how good it felt by nearly giving him a heart attack- running straight towards him with a demonic smile on her face. At the last minute, she lurched her torso and arms forwards to meet the ground, in order to do a graceful hand-spring over him, landing in a flamboyantly gymnastic fashion with her arms thrown in the air and her foot pointed behind her. Chat clapped, grinning, and she giggled.

"Excellent, my Lady. I must say, four weeks in plaster hasn't affected your grace or style one mite."

Ladybug laughed openly again, his heart dancing to the sound of her voice. She danced forwards to grab his hands and spin him around with her as she celebrated.

"I feel so _free."_ Ladybug sighed, twirling away from her slightly dizzy partner.

It had been four weeks since her leg had been broken, four weeks since she'd been let out of one prison (Chloe's) and pushed straight into another (her broken leg's). Thankfully, there had only been three akuma attacks in that time, and Chat had persuaded her to sit out for two, only letting her transform when the akuma was captured in a jar, ready for cleansing. The third time, she'd insisted on helping- and he'd secretly been glad. Music Man hadn't been a fun one to fight, and he couldn't have done it alone.

She'd received a certain amount of support from her suit, and her kwami had lent her a lot of strength, but Chat hadn't missed a single wince. She'd tried to hide the pain, of course she had, but even her magic and supreme acting skills couldn't stop him from noticing when she was in pain. It hadn't been a fun fight.

But now, there wasn't a single wince or grimace. The doctors had been astounded at her speedy recovery- a break like hers usually took at least two months to heal enough to escape the cast, and several weeks more of physio to make not using crutches bearable. But Ladybug's magic healing had done it's trick- she was two months ahead of schedule, and right back the way Chat loved her. Happy.

T be honest, there were certain things Chat was going to miss. He'd loved her letting him take care of her. He'd loved seeing her bundled up in a blanket on her chaise as he brought her books and (when her parents were out) treats from the bakery and hot chocolates. Adrien had loved seeing the smile back on his friend's face, and hearing her laugh and chatter once more.

What he hadn't loved, however, was knowing that the one who made the dreamy smile take over her face when she thought no-one was watching wasn't _him._ Or rather, knowing that she didn't _know_ it was him. Over the past few weeks, knowing that he could reveal himself had bizarrely instilled in him a stifling fear of doing so. He couldn't explain it- it was like some sick, sadistic reverse psychology. The opportunity he'd always longed for, for him and Ladybug to love and know all about the other, could finally be realised. But now he could make that dream a reality, he was suddenly terrified of it happening.

Questions spun through his head at night, in class, in all his spare moments. They were stuck on repeat, his fears and insecurities pulsing through him like a stuck record.

Would she be happy it was him? Could she learn to love him as both sides of him? Would she be disappointed? Would she love one side more than the other? Suddenly, he found himself second-guessing everything he said around her as Adrien, scared he was making a bad impression. Of course, he knew he was being silly (and Plagg wasted no time in telling him so), he knew Marinette loved Chat and had had a crush on Adrien for years, but could the two loves coagulate into one?

He was pulled from his reverie when Ladybug did an astounding leap onto the top of a building ahead, turning to chuckle at his dumbfounded expression as she landed. She reached out a hand and beckoned delicately with a slender finger.

Needing no more encouragement, he ran with a Cheshire grin on his face, and did an unnecessarily extravagant pole-vault onto the roof next to her, his staff shortening back as he purred at her.

"I'm impressed, kitty." She raised an eyebrow, the smirk evident in her voice.

"You're impressed by me?" Chat said smugly back at her. "Well, that's my aim in life achieved then. Now I can die happy."

Ladybug snorted, and reached out to flick the bell on his collar.

"You don't need to try and impress me anymore, kitty." She breathed, and he unconsciously moved towards her, their faces close. "You've got me."

He wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her up to meet their lips. She smiled into his mouth, her hands trapped against his chest. The moonlight cast the shadows of her eyelashes against her cheeks as she closed her eyes, but Chat just gazed at her as she sank into the kiss, entranced by her silvery, moonlit beauty.

He let go a minute later, placing her softly back on the ground.

"But it's fun to impress you, princess." He said, with a purr. She stumbled a little when her feet met the floor, and he steadied her, worried for her leg.

"Well keep doing it then." She said a little breathlessly, and he realised to his satisfaction that the stumble wasn't from her injury, but from the kiss.

He leaned in and breathed next to her ear, "I plan on it."

She drew back from him, a dark blush on her cheeks. He grinned, and she laughed, placing a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"I welcome it," Ladybug promised, drawing away. She stalked off and he followed, like he always did and always would. She sat as she reached the edge of the roof, and relaxed, her legs dangling over the side.

Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder as he joined her, the two staring at the Eiffel Tower's dark silhouette against the brightness of the moon. She heaved a happy sigh and giggled at the low rumble emanating from inside Chat's chest.

They remained in comfortable silence for a few minutes, both enjoying the closeness and comfort of their partner. Various things ran through Ladybug's head, but eventually she focused on the same one thing that had been occurring to her more and more, lately.

She discreetly looked up at Chat from under her lashes. He was staring ahead, a small smile on his face as his hand rubbed circles on the small of her back. The silvery light of the moon gave his usually golden hair a bronze-ish look, his strong cheekbones highlighted and his eyes a shimmering green.

She pursed her lips, and furrowed her brow in thought. Chat felt her head shift and looked down questioningly at her slight frown.

"Everything alright, my Lady?" He asked gently.

"Yeah." She replied, her gaze still roving over his face. He raised an eyebrow. "I just…uh." She paused, then sighed, not knowing what to say. It had been bothering her for a while, but she didn't want to bring it up and possibly ruin such a great night of celebration and liberty.

She knew she'd told him he didn't have to. She knew she had to right to want him to. She knew it was his right to choose when to tell her. She knew all that… but she was desperate to know.

 _Who are you?_

The unspoken question hung on her lips, curiosity burning behind her eyes.

Why didn't he tell her? Was there something he had to hide? Was he ashamed of himself? Was he scared that if he revealed himself they'd have no excuse not to publicly date as civilians? Was he ashamed to be seen with Marinette? _Was there another girl?_

Ladybug had no right to ask those questions, something both she and Tikki reminded her whenever she voiced them aloud, tired of her own exasperation and unsated curiosity. She had no right to be so curious, especially considering the lengths she'd gone to keep her own self hidden. But still, she burned for the answers. She longed to ask those questions.

"You know I love you, right?" She asked instead, carefully.

A short exhalation left Chat's mouth, and a bark of a laugh followed a second later. He wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders as she sat next to him, and pressed a kiss to the top of her hair. He looked down at her a second later, a (confused) smirk playing with the corners of his mouth.

"That's what's troubling you, Ladybug?"

She shrugged and looked at where their hands were intertwined between them.

"Part of it."

She felt him shake and looked up in alarm. His lips were pressed together in surpressed mirth and his eyes were dancing.

"Of course I know. How could I not?" He said tenderly, stroking the side of her face with the back of a finger.

"I… I just want you to know, okay? I do, I love you. So much."

The mirth faded from Chat's face and he turned his body towards her more. A slight frown graced his forehead.

"Okay, Bugaboo, what's really going on?"

"N- nothing! I…" She broke off at Chat shaking his head, letting her know the lie wasn't working. Ladybug sighed, and decided to tell him the truth. Or some of it, anyway.

"You haven't told me who you are." Chat stiffened, and looked away. Ladybug placed her hand on his knee in a swift effort to comfort him. "And that's okay! I totally respect your right to your secrets. God knows I wasn't all that great with the idea of you finding out my secret, so you've got every right to feel trepidation. I just… you need to know that _no matter what,_ I will love you and whoever you turn out to be."

Chat finally looked back at her, and her heart fluttered slightly at the intensity (and something else, something unidentifiable) behind his eyes. He placed a hand under her chin and pulled her towards him to crush her lips with his. She gasped at the passion he poured into it, but the kiss didn't last long. It seemed to be purely for the output of the emotion she couldn't place, as when he pulled back, all she could see in his eyes was love and caring.

"I know you will." He murmured, turning back to look at the moon again. Confused but not entirely unsatisfied, Ladybug put her head on his shoulder again.

The ensuing silence was more loaded than the one before she'd spoken had been. Both were thinking deeply.

 _Why won't he tell me?_

 _Why can't I tell her?_


	20. Chapter 20

TWENTY CHAPTERS! I'm very much proud of myself at the moment. This is the longest thing I've ever written, I must be honest! I quite like this chapter, it's the first action we get from either of the kwamis, and I loved writing the different attitudes between the two! But I also put a little DaddyPlagg feels in there, because let's face it- whether HawkDaddy is canon or not, Adrien needs some decent male influence in his life! xx

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"Plaaaagg," groaned Adrien as he flopped face-first onto his bed, burying his face and shame in a pillow.

His kwami flew up to sit on his shoulder, the cushion up Adrien's nose not enough to prevent the stench of camembert from reaching him.

"You're a mess." Plagg informed him, nibbling away. Adrien snorted into the pillow.

"Thanks, Plagg. But tell me something I don't know."

Plagg thought for a moment.

"Ladybug loves you."

Adrien rolled over, Plagg fluttering over to sit across the bed from his charge. The boy frowned.

"Again, something I know. But what is it with everyone today? I know Ladybug loves me. Of course I do."

"Do you?" Asked his kwami, and Adrien frowned. "Because it seems to me that the only reason you haven't told her who you are is because you're afraid she won't love you when you do. Are you really so self-deprecating and secure in your self-loathing to think so little of her? Do you honestly think Marinette would really give too much of a damn?"

Adrien furrowed his brow again.

"It's… it's not that."

Plagg rolled his eyes, and the last of the cheese disappeared, much to the delight of Adrien's nose.

"Well, what is it, then? You know you're worrying her. She's scared you don't trust her, she's scared you don't love her enough to tell her."

Adrien sat up in horror, his hair bouncing around his face as he stared at Plagg.

"She can't think that. She knows I love her more than anything!"

"More than your secret?" Asked Plagg calculatingly. Adrien opened his mouth to counter him, but closed it a moment later.

"I… I'm just concerned." He replied feebly. "She's loved _me_ for ages, it's only recently that she's even given Chat a second look."

"So?" Plagg prompted. "She loves you. Both of you. What's the problem?"

"What if it's a different kind of love? What if she wants to keep the two separate? What if what she feels for Adrien could never... _coalesce_ with what she feels for Chat?"

Plagg sighed and flew over to float in front of Adrien, making determined eye-contact.

"Here's the thing, kid. She loves you, and you love her. You're clearly the one with doubts about the relationship- and that's making her doubt it, too. It's only going to get worse the longer you wait, so you've got to pull yourself together. Cat up, and just tell her already!"

Adrien groaned and flung himself backwards, staring straight up at the ceiling. Plagg floated into his line of sight again.

"Look, Adrien." He stated, more serious and urgent than before. "You'll never know what Marinette's reaction will be until you tell her, okay? Now, I know Tikki, and I know Marinette. Tikki doesn't choose anyone that either of us would deem unacceptable, otherwise everything gets uncomfortable. If Tikki chose Marinette, she's the kindest, bravest and basically the best girl in Paris." That was nothing Adrien didn't know already, but he let his kwami carry on. "And after all these years, I can tell you that it's true. I can also tell you that she freakin' loves you, kid! You couldn't ask for a better partner, especially now she loves you back. But there's a lot of other stuff going on in her head right now, as well."

Adrien frowned.

"Like what?"

"Well for a start, she's feeling guilty." Plagg replied casually, sitting on Adrien's pillow.

"What! Why?"

"For liking Adrien still."

 _Oh._

"She's in love with Adrien, but dating Chat. She doesn't know you're both of them. She's feeling guilty for liking someone other than Chat, she feels disloyal. And then, there's her guilt over wanting you to tell her who you are. After the lengths she went to protect her own identity, wanting you to just _tell_ her feels hypocritical. She thinks you'd tell her so, too. She thinks you'd be mad at her for wanting you to tell her when she did everything she could to stop you from finding her out."

"I don't mind." Mumbled Adrien, feeling small. "She's allowed to want to know." He had no right to make his Lady feel so awful, but his own insecurities were too damn persistent.

"Doesn't matter. She still feels that way. And then, there's her fear. Lotta that hanging around."

"Fear?" Adrien questioned nervously.

"Uh-huh."

"Of what?"

"Well for a start, she thinks you've got a girl on the side." Snorted Plagg. Adrien sat up abruptly.

" _What?"_

"Or she's worried that _she's_ the girl on the side." Plagg shrugged. "Ladybug told Tikki that she thinks you're not telling her because then you'd have no excuse not to go out publicly, and obviously your 'current girlfriend' wouldn't be too happy with that. She's also scared because she thinks, in that scenario, you'd be ashamed to be seen with her."

"I'm not- I could- I wouldn't _ever_ be ashamed to be seen with her! And she's the _only_ girl in my life!" Spluttered Adrien, aghast and incredulous. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"Well _I_ know that- _she_ doesn't. But it's not like she actually believes any of these things- yet. Marinette's just paranoid, thinking up new reasons every day you don't tell her. She respects your privacy and she'll never ask you outright to tell her, but she's worried. That's what tonight was all about, she was making sure she'd done everything she could to make sure you felt okay with telling her. She had to make sure you knew she loved you and would love whoever you turned out to be."

"How do you know all of this, Plagg?"

The kwami rolled his eyes.

"You are, by _far_ , the most obtuse and unobservant Chat Noir I've ever had. 'Course, it helps that I'm attuned to Tikki's emotions- and therefore _Ladybug's_ \- but it's not hard to see. She's like an open book, kid, you just need to read it."

Adrien groaned and buried his face in a pillow, feeling absolutely awful.

"God, Plagg. What do I do?"

Plagg landed on the bed in front of him, a serious expression on his face.

"You tell her."

Adrien shook his head.

"I can't. I just- I can't. I'm not ready."

Plagg sighed.

"Let me tell you, kid. You gotta do _something_."

oOo

"Tikki…" moaned Marinette, curled up in her desk chair as it skidded and twirled across her room.

"Oh, Marinette." Murmured Tikki sympathetically, fluttering over to land on her charge's shoulder as the girl miserably buried her face in her knees. "I know this is hard, but you can't let your imagination run away with you."

"How can I not?" Sighed Marinette plaintively. "Every day he doesn't tell me, I keep imagining more and more terrible reasons why he doesn't want to."

Tikki stroked her hair soothingly.

"Mari, he's probably just nervous."

"I know… but it's hard to wait."

"Well you're going to have to! After what you did to keep yourself a secret, you can't ask him to reveal himself. That wouldn't be fair."

"I know that, Tikki!" Cried Marinette exasperatedly. "That's why I feel so rotten and awful. I'm such a hypocrite, but I can't help it! What if he's this awful play-boy with skeletons in his closet the size of dinosaurs? What if he's already got a girlfriend? _What if he's married_?" Her voice rose to a shriek.

"Marinette! Calm down." Ordered Tikki. "Don't be silly. Of course he's not married. He's too honest and kind to lie to you like that."

Mari sighed and slumped back down.

"I know… I know, of course he is. I just need to know he's not… I... just want to _know_."

Tikki fluttered upwards to look Marinette directly in the eye.

"Think about it Marinette. Would it really bother you all that much if Chat turned out to be so different out of the costume? Don't you love him more than that?"

Marinette frowned.

"I… I do. I think- yes. I do. Absolutely."

Tikki placed a light kiss between her eyebrows.

"Then you'll just have to wait. You'll have to trust that he loves you enough not to keep anything dinosaur-sized a secret from you, okay?"

Marinette giggled, her shoulders relaxing.

"Okay."

The two smiled at each other, when suddenly a voice spoke.

"Marinette?"

"Chat!" She yelped, jumping up from her chair. She turned to see him crouching uncertainly on her bed above them. "What are you doing here?"

He leapt down lithely and landed beside her.

"There's something we need to talk about."

"Uh… okay. But shh- my parents are asleep." She hushed him and gestured him over to her chaise. Once they were seated side by side, she looked at him expectantly, their hands entwined.

"I've been talking to Plagg since we got back. He's told me how you've been feeling guilty and scared and stuff…" Marinette squirmed uncomfortably. "So I'm here to put a stop to that."

Her heart sped up, breathing quickened.

 _Was this it? Was he going to tell her?_

"I don't want you to feel like that any longer… but I'm also not ready to tell you. I'm sorry…"

Marinette frowned, disappointed. She swallowed her feelings though, knowing everything was in his hands. This wasn't up to her.

"Okay. Uh, what's your plan then?"

"It's rather clever, actually." She could hear the smirk in his voice, even if she couldn't see it in the darkness of her bedroom. "I'm going to de-transform- in front of Tikki."

Mari tilted her head.

"Oh… _kay_?"

She heard him chuckle at the questioning confusion in her voice.

"If Tikki knows who I am, she'll be able to assuage any fears you have about my civilian self. She'll be able to assure you that there are no skeletons in my closet- dinosaur-sized or otherwise."

Marinette snorted, then blushed.

"How much did you hear?"

He wrapped her in a hug, and she felt him shaking with silent laughter. "Enough." He pulled away, leaving one hand on her shoulder. "So what do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea." Marinette admitted. "I think she'll be glad to help. And Tikki can keep a secret, she won't tell me who you are. Right, Tikki?"

Her kwami nodded.

"Promise, Chat!" She squeaked dancing around excitedly on Marinette's floor.

"Alrighty then." Marinette could hear the nervousness in his voice. "Let's go up to the roof."

Tikki floated along behind him as he gracefully leaped onto her bed, then unlatched the skylight.

Marinette waited impatiently down below as he left. Her bedroom was briefly illuminated by a green flash as he de-transformed, and she fought the urge to clamber up her ladder to sneak a peek.

 _No, Marinette._ She scolded inwardly. _This is hard for him, it's a big step. This is enough for you for now, okay?_

A couple of minutes later, there was another flash. A moment later, she heard the skylight being thrown open and the squeak of her mattress as Chat entered her bedroom again.

"All alright?" She asked quietly as he flopped onto the chaise beside her. He nodded nervously and she turned to Tikki.

"Okay, Tikki?"

The kwami stood on the armrest of the chaise, staring between the two superheroes. Plastered onto her tiny face was the biggest grin Marinette had ever seen.

"Oh, _definitely._ "


	21. Chapter 21

I really liked writing this chapter. The fluff is strong with this one... :D Sorry this one's a little late, I've got a French writing exam next Tuesday which I kind of forgot I had to prepare for... but it's up! Unfortunately, I only just finished it so it's un-beta-ed. Please don't kill me if anything's wrong! My beta's got a German speaking next week as well, so we're both quite hectic. And it's two months today until my first GCSE, so I'm not at all panicking over that... xx

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"Tikki, could you stop dancing for just a _minute_!"

Marinette was growing aggravated, her mad swipes in an effort to detain her kwami getting more and more erratic. Tikki was twirling around her bedroom, giggling openly and making little hops of glee every now and then. It had been like this ever since Chat left, soon after his reveal to Tikki. And it was infuriating.

"Ohh, _Marinette_ …" sighed Tikki in a sing-song voice. "It's _unbelievable_ …"

"Great. Thanks." Marinette growled, hands on her hips. Tikki refused to make any sort of sense, so she knew little to nothing about Chat's reveal- except for the fact that it seemed to have made the kwami very happy. "Wasn't there a point to this? Aren't you meant to be 'assuaging my fears' right about now?"

Tikki snorted, finally letting her feet touch the solidity of Marinette's desk.

"Well, he's _definitely_ not married."

"That's good to know." Marinette sat in her desk chair, trying to ignore the faerie's uncharacteristic sniggering. "Is he… uh... well, how old is he?"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Tikki waggled an antennae in the form of teasing scolding. "I can't tell you that! I promised, remember?"

Marinette groaned.

"Fine. What _can_ you tell me? Please, _anything_."

Tikki seemed to calm down at the desperation in Mari's voice. She fluttered over to the girl, placing her hands on her cheeks.

"It's good, Mari." She informed her charge solemnly. "Really good. Promise."

Mari smiled weakly.

"Really?"

"Oh yes." Tikki started singing again, twirling away in glee. Marinette giggled.

"I guess that's okay then. I trust your judgement. And I trust that he'll tell me when the time is right."

oOo

Marinette looked extra pretty today. Despite her paleness from her late night, her eyes were sparkling and her hair was styled anew, in two little braids that Adrien found it hard to tear his gaze away from.

She smiled brightly at him as she entered the classroom, taking her seat as his neighbour. Her leg had come out of the cast yesterday so the stairs didn't pose a problem, but Alya and Nino (now dating) were very happy with the new seating arrangement and didn't want to change back. Adrien felt the same, and Mari did too, apparently, as she sat down next to him with a happy sigh.

"Morning."

"Morning, Mari." Adrien grinned back at her. "What's got you so perky?" He hoped he knew the answer, he just wanted to make sure.

She giggled.

"I just got some good news last night is all. Plus, I'm finally out of that ridiculous cast! But yeah, good news is… good."

Adrien chuckled back at her.

"What sort of news?" He sadistically enjoyed the slight panic that crossed her eyes before she casually stretched her arms and smiled dreamily. It was adorable, very much so.

"I've been worrying about something and… turns out I don't have to be worried anymore. S'all good." Marinette tilted her head in satisfaction, then looked at him strangely when he let out a snort. "What?"

"I… nothing." He lied, neglecting to mention how much he wanted to kiss her, and the fact that he was glad she now knew he _definitely_ wasn't married. "It's just nice to see you so happy."

She sighed and leaned forwards, the dreamy contention filling her face again.

"It's nice to _feel_ so happy."

"Why don't we go out at lunch to celebrate? Your leg's out of your cast, you can finally walk up stairs without assistance! It's a miracle!"

She threw a pencil at his head, and he dodged it, laughing.

"What do you think, though?"

"Sounds good." She smiled at his dorkiness, and his stomach fluttered.

"Why don't we invite the others?" Adrien suggested, turning round to face Alya and Nino when her face lit up even further. "You guys up to go out for lunch?"

"Sure." Replied Alya, while Nino nodded eagerly next to her.

"That's settled then." He turned back and smiled at Mari, who now was frowning.

"Actually, now that I come to think about it, Adrien...I'd love to, that sounds great, but I just realised I, ah… don't have any money right now." She said sheepishly. "I bought a bunch of stuff for… a project last week, and I won't get my allowance until next month."

 _Oh._ Adrien had forgotten. A couple of nights ago, while in her room as Chat, he'd noticed a jacket hung up half-finished on a mannequin with a cloth thrown haphazardly over it, and had gotten curious. It was gorgeous- intricate, careful stitching held it together, and the shape was sleek and stylish. The shoulders were broad, but the sleeves were narrower and the lapel flared outwards across the front. Pockets were stitched in at elbow height, and the zip down the middle was plated with gold. Upon peering closer, he'd noticed the pattern of green paw-prints scattered along the hem of the bottom and the sleeves before Mari had some back into the room and shooed him away with a furious blush adorning her cheeks.

"Kitty!" She'd scolded. "That was meant to be a surprise…"

"It's- it's for _me_?" He'd barely dared to believe it. "You're making me a jacket?"

"I was." Marinette had grumbled, throwing the cloth back over it before turning back to him with a half-hearted glare. "But I've half a mind to give it to someone else now. Curiosity killed the cat, ever heard that phrase?"

"Awww, Mari…" He pleaded her, eyes wide and begging. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be nosy, it… uh… maybe the cloth fell off and I was just picking it up? I didn't see anything, I swear."

She snorted, stalking off as best she could with crutches and a broken leg. He followed, mewing pitifully.

"Pleeeaaase?" He pouted at her when he drew her around to face him. Marinette had tried to maintain the frown, but couldn't. She'd giggled at his expression, then made a big deal of rolling her eyes.

"Fine. I'll give it to you when it's finished. But no more peeking, okay? It's not finished."

"Yay!" He'd pounced on her, wrapping her in an enthusiastic hug. "And you know satisfaction brought the cat back right?"

She snorted, batting him away, but his energy wasn't to be discouraged.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou! It looks amazing, I can't wait!"

"I thought you said you didn't see anything!"

 _Oops..._

Adrien smiled now at the memory, then felt guilty. He'd noticed the quality of the materials at the time, but only now realised how much they must have cost her.

"That's okay- my treat." He told her, wanting to repay her for something she didn't know she'd done- for him, anyway. This was all getting a bit complicated.

"Oh no- that's very generous- I c-couldn't," she protested, some of her old stammer coming back in the light of his apparent kindness and generosity.

Adrien shook his head, smiling widely.

"No, no, I insist. It's a celebration in your honour, after all."

Mari blushed deeply, but smiled gratefully.

"Well… okay then. Thank you, Adrien."

He grinned back at her, the teacher entering the classroom before he could say anything more.

Throughout the morning, he cast sideways glances at her, hoping she wouldn't notice. The braids puffed her hair out a little as they travelled backwards, framing her face and accentuating her beautiful bone structure. Her cheeks were back to the roundness and pinkness they had been three months ago, and her skin was back to a healthy pallor. Her cerulean eyes were bright and sparkling and beautiful and mesmerizing… he could get lost in them all day. The sunlight that flowed through the open windows glinted in her raven hair, the beams gleaming and highlighting the slight navy undertones.

At one point during History, she caught him staring and sent him a confused but flattered smile. He grinned back, feeling the blush spread over his cheeks. She looked questioningly at him for a moment, then shook her head and returned to her worksheet with the small smile still stuck on her face.

Adrien smiled to himself again before devoting himself to the work. He shot a couple more looks at her during the remainder of the morning, but always looked away as soon as she felt him staring. She was so… and the way she… it was all just… _he really wanted to_ …

Finally, the bell announcing the lunch break tolled loudly, and the students rushed to stow away their work equipment. People began to file out of the classroom, Chloe stalking past without a glance at either of them. She'd remained frosty to Adrien for the first few days after his outburst, and then began ignoring him even more after he failed to offer up an apology. He didn't mourn the friendship much.

Her relationship with Marinette was somewhat confusing, though. There remained an underlying hatred, and Chloe still very much wanted to reveal the girl- that much was obvious. But the fear Chat had instilled in her of the repercussions of that action was enough to scare her into silence. She barely interacted with the girl, nervous to say anything that Marinette might not like and then report back to Chat. In the end, the blonde opted to just ignore her as much as possible. Marinette clearly wasn't too bothered with her, just glad to finally be free of her tyranny.

Waiting for Nino to finish folding his worksheet and putting his stuff in his backpack, (how long did he have to take?) Adrien turned to Alya and Marinette as they stood by the door.

"So where do you guys want to go? I've heard great things about the new café on Rue de Rennes."

Marinette shrugged.

"I don't mind. Nothing too expensive though, seeing as you're paying."

She knew money wasn't an issue for him, but her innate politeness made him smile. _She was so considerate…_ and he was _so_ smitten.

"What about you Alya?"

"I dunno, Rue de Rennes is kinda far. How about somewhere on the Champs Elysses?"

"Sounds good to me." Nino said, bounding down the stairs towards them. The quartet began to make their way out of the classroom and towards the front of school. "I know a great little Italian place, my cousin worked there. They're super fast and make a mean pepperoni pizza."

"Great." Smiled Alya, taking her boyfriend's hand. Mari turned to Adrien.

"Adrien?"

He shrugged and nodded.

"Sounds perfect. Shall I call my driver, or do you guys want to walk? It's lovely weather."

"Walking's good." Nino and Marinette nodded their agreement to Alya's statement, and the four set off in the beautiful Parisian sunshine.

It was a comfortable walk, the teens pointing out the street performers they passed and laughing at the way the pigeons scattered around their feet as they neared. Adrien longed to take Marinette's hand, irritated with knowing full well he _could_ if he just revealed his secret. But now wasn't the time to focus on himself- they were celebrating Mari's good health.

They soon arrived at the little restaurant and were pleased to find a table for four outside under the candy-cane striped awning. They ordered drinks and sat back comfortably, blinking the light out of their eyes.

"It's so nice today." Sighed Nino, resting his head in his arms as he leaned back to take the sun on his face.

Marinette hummed an agreement, her chin resting on her hands as she propped her head up against the table. Her eyes were closed, but Adrien couldn't take his eyes off the way the sunlight cast long shadows of her eyelashes on her cheeks.

"It's a great view, as well." Sniggered Alya, grinning as she caught Adrien ogling. He saw her making a mental note to bug him about it later, but was distracted when Marinette opened her eyes to blink slowly at her chuckling friend.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing…" Alya waved her hand airily. "I just think Adrien's having a nice time, is all." She dissolved into snorts again, and Marinette turned to Adrien with an exasperated smile on her face.

"What exactly is she on about?"

Adrien shrugged, embarrassed but determined not to let it show.

"Who knows?" He brushed off his nervousness. "I think she's drunk on the sunlight."

Alya cracked open an eye to glare at him, but soon went back to sunbathing.

Their drinks arrived, and Nino basically downed his while his girlfriend looked on with disgust and glee at his antics.

"Ah, I needed that." The boy sighed, setting his nearly-empty glass back on the table. "There's nothing like a mid-maths lesson nap to make a boy thirsty."

Marinette laughed.

"Sleeping in maths? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be? It's not like we're ever going to _use_ any of that crap."

"Well yeah, not until the exam next week anyway." Alya giggled.

"What? _Exam?_ " Nino sat up abruptly, nearly upsetting the table in his shock. The other three laughed.

"Yep. Madame told us today. It's going to be fifteen percent of our end-of-term grade. Good luck, buddy." Adrien patted his friend on the back with a grin. Nino groaned and bashed his head on the table.

"Oh, crap. This is not good. I'm never going to-"

Nino's despair was cut off by a ginormous _BOOM_ as the shop three buildings down from the pizzeria exploded.


	22. Chapter 22

I'm so sorry I didn't get a chance to upload yesterday, guys. I had four hours' worth of mocks at school, and a bunch of homework to do. Then work didn't let me go until 10pm, and I appear to have developed an illness over the past couple of days that made me crash basically as soon as I got home! But it means you guys will get two chapters today, I guess there's that. The other one will be up ASAP, I promise! xx

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The teens were thrown backwards from the force of the explosion, flying onto the ground as brick and shattered glass rained down. Screams rent the air, but a high-pitched whine was dizzyingly loud in Adrien's ears. His vision was blurry, everything seemed to be wobbling and moving oddly slowly. He realised he was lying down, but couldn't seem to make himself move. Something jagged was digging into his back, but the discomfort was negligible amongst his fear and confusion.

Suddenly, there were hands on him, and he was dragged over to meet panicked blue eyes. Some of the smoke in his brain and in front of his eyes began to clear. The roaring in his ears died down enough to make the screamed words audible.

"Adrien. _Adrien!_ Say something, come on. Talk to me!" Marinette cried, dust and smoke smudging her face as she shook him. "Adrien, please!" The world began to move a little less sluggishly as he rushed to assure her he was alright.

"M- Mari, I'm okay." Adrien slurred slightly, waving his hands. He looked around as his brain finally started working properly. Alya and Nino were beginning to sit up woozily a couple of feet away from him. Nino looked winded from the fall, but other than shock, they seemed to be alright. Adrien dragged his gaze forwards, past where Marinette was crouching protectively in front of him with her hands on his shoulders, to where smoke was billowing out from a hole in the buildings that hadn't been there before. Cars had been blown backwards, and flames were starting to snake their way outwards from the point of the explosion. People were screaming and running away, or trying to rouse unconscious companions. He couldn't yet tell which shop it had been that had exploded, but smoke was curling its way towards them and he didn't want to be here when the heat hit.

The world seemed to be juddering, but then he realised Mari was shaking him again, scared by his unresponsiveness.

"Adrien? Adrien, can you hear me?" She cupped his face with her hand, and before he could stop himself, he covered her hand with his own. He heard her brief intake of breath at the contact, but neither pulled away. He gazed up into her eyes, and she stared back.

"Adrien, come on- we need to get you out of here." Marinette blinked after a moment, drawing away. The world seemed to darken around them, the smoke growing into a huge cloud. Adrien heard the crackling of fire, and knew she was right. Marinette put her hands under his arms to help him up, and he saw Nino doing the same for Alya in the corner of his eye. He moved to push his feet under him, but his legs shook. Marinette caught him when he stumbled, looking worried.

"I'm fine." Adrien assured her, leaning a hand on the side of the pizzeria for support. Mari didn't look convinced, but she turned to where the others were leaning on each other, looking terrified.

"We need to get out of here." She ordered, squinting through the smoke and still-falling debris for an exit path. "Come on." She took Adrien's arm and looped it over her shoulder. His legs still not supporting him properly, he let her prop him up as they began to stagger away from the point of the explosion. The growing flames sent licks of heat up his back, and Adrien willed himself to move faster. The sound of sirens began to wail in the distance as they rounded a corner, coughing the smoke out of their lungs.

"Come on- just a bit further," Marinette panted as she half-carried him away. Adrien looked at her as they staggered together, marvelling at how calm she was. Then she pointed ahead of them, to a break in the wall they were following. "Go in there."

She dragged him in first, then Mari propped Adrien against a wall, and turned to help Nino and Alya into the little alleyway in which they'd found brief sanctuary.

"You guys okay?" She asked, her voice strained and raspy, as she looked Nino over carefully at his wince. Adrien could hear screams and yells from the site of the explosion and felt fear judder in his gut. He leaned back against the wall behind him, trying to cough up the taste of smoke.

"Fine." Choked Alya, sliding down the wall to seat herself on the grimy ground. "What the hell was that, though?"

"I dunno," wheezed Adrien, the back of his throat burning from the acidity and heat of the smoke he'd inhaled. "But I don't think I want to find out."

Marinette was staring back the way they came.

"The fire's growing." She murmured hoarsely, and Adrien's heart leapt in fear, knowing what would come next.

"So?" Asked Nino, bending over as he spat the taste of smoke out of his mouth. Marinette's hair was full of ash as she turned to look at him. "The fire engines are on the way.

"There are still people back there." Her eyes were far away, her face set.

Adrien lurched forwards to grab her hand as she began to move.

"Let the police and ambulances deal with it." He begged, knowing full well she wouldn't heed his words. But he had to try.

"They'll get here too late." Marinette tried to tug her arm out of his grip, confused at his intensity but resolute.

"Marinette?" Alya began to stand up warily.

"Someone has to help!"

"Yes, but not you! You'll get yourself killed." Cried the redhead, staggering forwards to take the bluenette's other hand as Adrien clung desperately to her.

"Mari, listen." Adrien's voice was pleading, intense. "The fire department will be here soon. They'll help. We need to wait and find out whether it was an akuma or not, _then_ Chat Noir and Ladybug will come to help, okay? There's nothing we can do now."

Marinette stared at him, her eyes full of tears. The sound of the screams and the roar of the fire dimmed as they gazed at each other.

"I can't just wait here, knowing I could help. People are hurt, people could die. I _have_ to help."

With that, she wrenched her arms free, and sprinted back towards the fire, where staggering shapes and crumpled figures could be seen amongst the smoke and debris.

"Marinette! _Come back!_ " Screamed Alya, staggering after her best friend. Adrien rushed to restrain her, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Nino! Hold her back! And make sure you both stay safe." He yelled, pushing Alya towards the other boy. Terrified, Nino wrapped his arms around his sobbing girlfriend as she struggled.

"What are you going to do?" Nino cried, eyes full of fear.

"I have to help Marinette." Leaving the screams and yells of his friends behind, Adrien ran back out of the alleyway. He saw Marinette running ahead of him and shouted her name. She didn't appear to hear him, as she continued without hesitation, and sprinted until the darkness of the smoke covered her and Adrien could see her no more.

Bellowing in frustration and fear, he ripped open his jacket to see his kwami looking at him with fear and smoke-filled eyes.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien roared. The glow of the transformation surrounded him as he ran towards the fire, and strength pumped into his veins. As he ran closer to the growing inferno, he was more grateful than ever before for his suit- the material shielded him somewhat from the intensity of the fire's heat and the film of his mask prevented the smoke from getting into his eyes.

And then the cloud of smoke engulfed him, and he was tossed into a world of heat, screams and darkness.

"Marinette!" Chat screamed, looking around wildly. Everything was grew, save for the one direction illuminated by an orangey glow. Around him, he could see the foggy shapes of people staggering around blindly in the confusion of smoke and terror. "Go that way, that way!" He yelled, running close enough to them for them to see where he was pointing. They seemed to understand, a couple beginning to make their way away from the fire, but he didn't stay long. He had to find Marinette.

Chat ran towards the source of the smoke, the air darkening and thickening around him. He felt the heat intensify and began yelling her name again, his voice cracking in fear and desperation. Where was she?

"Help! Please, help me!" A scream cut through the air, and Chat started. It was a female voice, definitely. But was it Marinette's? "Someone, please!"

Abruptly, a figure erupted out of the smoke next to him. They ran towards the source of the voice, but were close enough for Chat to recognise the now-tattered pink jeans and grey t-shirt. Marinette didn't notice him as she hurtled towards the scream, her hair dishevelled and her face dirtied but determined.

"Marinette!" Yelped Chat, latching onto her arm as she passed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Chat!" She looked relieved but confused. "Listen- a building exploded, people are hurt. Someone's screaming over there, I have to hel-"

Chat gripped her arm tighter as she started trying to tug herself away again.

"You're not transformed!" He yelled furiously. Marinette frowned at him, her eyes red and blurry from the smoke.

"I didn't have time, I had to get my friends out of here, then there were people, and I-"

Chat took her other shoulder in his black paw, his terror and anger nearly overwhelming him.

"Listen to me," he ordered, his voice harsh.

"No- Chat- there's no time!" She cried, desperate to help whoever was screaming. "The civilians, they need me to help, I-"

"I don't give a damn about the civilians right now!" Chat bellowed, shaking her roughly in his panic. "You're putting yourself in danger, and I can't have that. You need to start worrying about yourself instead of everyone else. So either you transform _right now,_ or you get the hell out of here and let me deal with it." His heart was beating frantically, his eyes boring into her in his burning need to convey to her his emotions.

"Chat… I…" Mari whispered, taken aback by his intensity. He didn't let go of her shoulders, and the world seemed to quieten around them as he stared desperately at her. She was barely close enough to him to be visible through the smoke, but he saw her swallow after a moment, nodding her head. "Okay, I- I'll transform."

"Good." Chat nodded, then pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. She squeaked, but he didn't let go. _Don't you ever scare me like that again._ He told her silently, his relief at finding her almost making the horror of the situation disappear. Holding her felt like an oasis of calm in the horror of the fire, the screams, roaring sounds and heat dimming as he told himself she was safe.

"Tikki, spots on." He heard her whisper over the roar of the fire, and he felt her body change under his hands. The pink glow dissipated, and he pulled back to see her masked face peering up at him through the smoke. "Satisfied, kitty?" Ladybug murmured, cupping his cheek with her hand.

Chat held onto her for one moment more, then relinquished her.

"Yes, m'Lady. Let's go save some civilians."

And they ran off into the fire, hand in hand.


	23. Chapter 23

I honestly feel like I've spent the majority of today trying not to cough my lungs up out of my face. I'm fairly certain I've managed to contract sinusitis as well, which is always fun, but nevertheless here is today's second chapter as promised! Again, sorry for not uploading, yesterday, it was just sort of a crisis-filled day. But I wrote and edited this in under three hours! (Yay me) **Trigger Warning** : blood and injuries etc, this is quite a graphic chapter. And also, yes we're back with the cliffhangers... xx

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"Help, _please_!" Screamed the voice again, the sobbing growing clearer in Chat's ears as he and Ladybug drew closer.

A dark, rectangular shape loomed up in front of them, and he could just make out the name of the pizzeria emblazoned on the side of the building.

Ladybug looked around the store-front frantically, the smoke getting into her eyes and making them water.

"Where are you?" She cried hoarsely, and the voice came back a moment later.

"Down here, please hurry! I-I'm by the wall."

The two heroes ran closer, until a slowly stirring figure was visible. A woman could be seen through the smoke, her back pinned against the side of the pizzeria. Her tousled blonde hair was streaked with a damp redness, and her legs and the bottom half of her torso was trapped by a huge chunk of brick and cement, presumably from the explosion. She spotted the heroes, the agony on her face dissipating slightly in shock.

"L-Ladybug?" She breathed, her voice choked from pain and smoke. "Chat Noir?"

"It's us." Chat told her softly, kneeling next to her.

"We're going to get you out of here," Ladybug promised from the other side of the woman. She grasped the woman's hand. "What's your name?"

"Cynthia." Gasped the woman, tear tracks glinting against the smudges of dust and ash on her cheeks.

"Okay, Cynthia, you're gonna be fine." Chat told her soothingly as he and Ladybug surveyed the rock that trapped her. "Uh, is there anything you can tell us about what happened?"

"It was the bank," Cynthia whimpered, the bellow of the flames making her nearly inaudible. Her face was hard to make out through the ever-deepening smoke. "I was just coming out of the building n-next to it when it just exploded. I guess I got thrown away by the explosion, and I think I b-blacked out. Then I woke up and I was just lying here. I- I can't feel my legs, and my son- my son was with me, I can't see him, I can't move, I- please, help me!" Cynthia dissolved into sobs and Ladybug cast Chat a dark look.

"Is there any way to lever this thing off of her?" She whispered hopefully. Chat frowned and shook his head. He was uncomfortably hot, the inferno growing. He saw a bead of sweat drop down Ladybug's face and knew they were running out of time.

"I don't know what to do," he told her unhappily. "Do you think we're strong enough to just lift it off her?"

Ladybug analysed it critically. The boulder was enormous, both she and Chat could have lain side by side on top of it.

"I don't think so."

Cynthia's sobs had been loud enough to stop the conversation from reaching the terrified woman's ears, so her hopeful expression broke Chat's heart when he lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Cynthia, I don't think we're strong enough to lift it off you ourselves." He looked at the ground in defeat.

"No, no- please there has to be a way for you to help me!" The woman begged, tears spurting down her dirtied cheeks.

"Chat, the fire's getting closer," Ladybug murmured warningly, panic crossing what little of her face Chat could see behind the mask and through the smoke. They were nearly out of time, and he was out of ideas.

He felt utterly useless. What good were his powers if they couldn't save one innocent woman?

Wait- _his powers._

Chat started, his ring glinting in the orange glow of the encroaching blaze.

"Why don't I Cataclysm it?"

Ladybug's mouth popped open.

"Is- is it powerful enough? Could your Cataclysm destroy something this big?" She asked hopefully, Cynthia's ragged breathing also slowing in optimism. Chat looked at the boulder again.

"It's all one thing, I should be able to get it all. I think this is our only option, and we're running out of time." He moved to stand up, raising his fist to the sky.

"Chat- wait. You realise that if you do this, you'll only have minutes before your transformation wears off." Ladybug warned, standing next to him.

"I know." He muttered.

"But I might see who you are…"

Chat looked at her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before gently moving her backwards, out of the way of his power.

"Would that be so terrible?" He asked softly, seeing her face light up at his words. He knew she was over the moon at the prospect of seeing who he truly was. Cynthia needed help, and he knew he couldn't keep himself a secret much longer anyway. So it was with no trepidation that he called his power, and thrust the darkness against the boulder.

A few moments later, the dust cleared and Cynthia was lying free amongst the rubble. A gasp sprang from her lips in relief and wonder before Chat scooped her up into his arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the woman sobbed as he and Ladybug ran away from the source of the fire. The sound of ambulances and fire engines were growing ever closer, so he deposited her a few metres out of the smoke cloud.

"The ambulances are nearly here," Ladybug told her when the woman was seated against a wall. "They'll take care of you. But for now, we've got other people to help." She gave a smile, and started to turn away when Cynthia reached out to hold her arm.

"My- my son," she gasped, the pain from her crushed legs working it's way into her cracked voice. "My Teddy, I don't know where he is. Can you find him, can you help him?"

"We'll do our best." Chat promised her, and Cynthia let go of Ladybug's hand with a grateful nod. The two ran back towards the smoke cloud, just as Chat's ring gave it's first beep of warning.

A sizzling noise ricocheted off the buildings around them as the fire engines that had arrived began hosing water onto the burning buildings. The smoke began to clear, and a wave of relief began building in Chat's stomach.

The still-sunny light of day managed to pierce it's way through the fading smoke to cast relief on the carnage. Overturned cars and chunks of exploded masonry had caused a huge amount of damage to the nearby buildings. Several people were still staggering around in a daze, while some were lying down, unmoving. A multitude of pained moans were easily audible, the stench of fire and smoke burning his nostrils.

"Jeeze," muttered Ladybug as they made their way to the nearest civilians. "Whoever did this is not going to get away with this." The anger in her vow surprised him, but he couldn't comment on it, as they were now guiding some innocents away from the dying inferno. It was still hot enough to make him sweat under his suit, and his eyes and throat burned in the greying air.

"Akuma?"

She shrugged, handing over her civilian to a paramedic. She waved away the stammers of gratitude with a weak smile before turning back to him.

"I don't know." Ladybug sighed, surveying the carnage with her hands on her hips. "But we haven't got long before you change back- _oh_!" Suddenly, she darted away, running in the opposite direction from the nearest injured Parisians. Confused, Chat ran after her.

"My Lady, where are you going?" He called, trying to keep up with her.

"There's someone I need to check up on." She shot back, and he suddenly realised where she was going. He caught up with her as she skidded into the alleyway where they'd left Alya and Nino.

Sure enough, the two were still there, curled up together on the grimy floor. Alya let out a cry of shock as her heroine ran up to her. Even without being able to see her face, Chat could sense the fear in Ladybug's stance.

"Where's Ad- the blond boy?" She enquired harshly, apparently her relief at the safeness of her two friends overcome by her fear for the missing Adrien. Alya seemed to be in a state of shock from the events of the day, so Nino spoke for her.

"He went back," he told Ladybug miserably. "We were nearby when the building exploded, and Marinette went back to help, then Adrien followed her." Looking with obviously increasing panic between her two friends, Ladybug swallowed and turned to Chat.

"They're my friends, I was having lunch with them when it happened. I helped them away from the explosion, then I left these two and my friend Adrien here so they'd be safe," she explained quietly to him. "I can't believe Adrien went after me…" Tears pooled in her eyes, and Chat felt guilt rise up inside him.

He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a loud bang echoed from back where the ambulances were. The four jumped, Alya looking fearfully up at her heroine.

"What was that?"

Ladybug looked at Chat in terror.

"It sounded like a gunshot." She whispered, and before he could say anything else, she was sprinting off again. Just as he was about to follow her, Alya caught onto his wrist from where she knelt on the ground.

"Please, Chat Noir." She begged, her expression broken and scared. "Find our friends."

Not trusting himself to say anything, Chat gave her a nod before running off after Ladybug.

"Ladybug, wait!" He called, and this time she slowed. They ran side by side until they reached the still-smoking crater of where the bank had been. A multitude of ambulances and fire engines were parked some distance away, but some were starting to drive off, full to the brim with injured innocents.

It wasn't hard to see where the gunshot had come from. In front of the hole that used to be the bank, five black-clad men stood with revolvers. Black material covered the bottom half of their faces and the remaining civilians were backing away in terror.

"Stay back!" Yelled one of the men, his own revolver pointing into the sky, having just issued a warning shot. No-one seemed inclined to disobey him, the bystanders dashing to duck behind any cover they could find.

"A robbery?" Chat was outraged. "All this just so they could rob the godamn bank?"

Ladybug looked incensed. But then she had to grab Chat's arm to stop him from storming up to the men, and panic took the place of her anger. She dragged him behind an overturned lorry, knowing he had two minutes left before he transformed back and spoke quickly.

"Chat, no. Let the police deal with it. It's not an akuma, this isn't our job." She looked desperate.

He glared at her.

"The police won't be here for ages yet. We can't let them get away with this, god only knows how many people they killed today! The bomb was clearly just to get the building open and all the security staff away, they didn't give a damn who got hurt! They're worse than akumas, Ladybug, there isn't just some ring or bracelet we can break to de-evilise them. They're murderers, okay? We have to stop them."

He pulled his arms out of her grip and dashed back around the lorry. He heard her cry his name, but couldn't stop himself. Three men were still outside the bank, two having clearly gone in to rob the place. They readied their guns when they saw him coming. More sirens sounded in the distance, but by the time the police got here, the men would have disappeared. So he charged.

Dodging the bullets that whizzed towards him with a feline grace and nimbleness, he managed to disarm and floor the first two men with ease before turning to the third. The man's hand shook on his gun, clearly not having been expecting Chat Noir to be the opposition on the heist. Chat's eyes flashed with anger, and he dimly saw Ladybug dashing towards him.

"Put down the gun," he ordered, his voice harsh. The man shook his head, but also didn't pull the trigger. "Don't make me do this the hard way." Chat told him, his tail swishing as he approached. Sweat beaded down the man's forehead, his reluctance to shoot an indication of his fear. Suddenly, there was a whizzing noise, and the man's gun was pulled out of his hands by Ladybug's yo-yo, and cast onto the ground a few feet away. As the man hopped foolishly from foot to foot in frustration at his incompetence, Chat lunged for him, and tackled him. The man's head struck the ground, his eyes rolling back into his head. Breathing hard, Chat stood up to dust himself off. His ring gave him a one-minute warning as he turned to stand face-to-face with an incensed Ladybug.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She hissed, her cheeks blotched with angry redness. "You could have been shot, you moron."

"But I wasn't," countered Chat, walking past her to look into the darkness of the ex-bank. "Come on, there are two more inside."

Ladybug grabbed his arm and yanked him around to face her before he could step into the remains of the building.

"Chat, you're about to de-transform. Just get out of here, okay? I'll deal with this."

Chat drew away, frowning.

"I'm not leaving you alone. I've still got time, I ca-"

His protests were cut off by Ladybug's scream.

" _Chat, look out_!"

Abruptly, he was pulled aside, and all he saw was a red blur as she rushed to cover his body with her own. She threw her arms out in front of him as a _bang_ echoed through the air, and he dimly saw a figure standing in the remains of the bank, clearly having just fired at the two. Ladybug's yo-yo launched a piece of brick at his head as he fired again, and he crumpled a moment later, his still-smoking gun clattering to the floor.

Feeling no pain, Chat straightened in relief, ready to take on the last man in the bank before he de-transformed. But then Ladybug turned to face him, a slight frown creasing her forehead. She slowly looked up into his eyes, then dragged her gaze downwards to where a dark stain was seeping across her the material covering her gut. Chat watched, unable to move, as she raised a hand to touch the dark splotch of the gunshot wound. Her fingers came away dripping before she looked up at him again.

"Oh." Was all she said before her knees buckled and her eyes closed.


	24. Chapter 24

I feel like a bit of a sadist, considering how funny I found your reviews after the last chapter... I'm only partly sorry for the cliffhanger. I'm mostly better, with some lingering sinusitis and a cough, but thank you to the well-wishers! This chapter is a rollercoaster, ngl. I had to do a lot of research for this one, so please bear with me if it's not medically accurate, etc. I'm not a doctor, this was all Google and me needing to make certain things happen for the storyline. Just enjoy it, and don't hate me too much afterwards! It does change between Mari's and Adrien's viewpoints, but I think it's clear. If anyone needs clarification of anything (especially the kwami stuff) please feel free to ask me in the reviews xx (ALSO, WTF VOLPINA? I'M DYING OVER THE SERIES FINALE, GUYS)

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"NOOO!" Chat's scream was surprisingly loud, even to himself, as he watched Ladybug crumple. He darted forwards to catch her at the last second, but his Miraculous wasn't going to hold out much longer. He couldn't de-transform, not now- not in public with Ladybug dying in his arms.

"L-Ladybug, hold on, hold on, okay?" He sobbed, cradling her body to his. Her chest rose up and down faintly, but her breathing was raspy and strained. Her eyes were rolled back, a sliver of white visible under mostly-closed lids. Redness dripped onto the ground beneath her as Chat stared around wildly, trying to think of something- _anything._ Civilians were starting to come out of hiding, staring and pointing at him and Ladybug. The four unconscious robbers lay prone around him, one more still unaccounted for, but police sirens were nearing. Chat no longer cared about bringing the robbers to justice- _that was going to come later._

Broken gasps ripped out of his chest as he lifted Ladybug's limp body and began to push his way through the throng of Parisians. He ignored them all, didn't stop for a minute to answer questions or alleviate fears. He didn't have the time or patience.

So Chat ran.

He left the crater of the bank behind, along with the concerned civilians. He ran to the only place he could think of that would be _at all_ safe for either of them.

"Ch- Chat Noir?" Gasped Alya as he skidded into the alleyway where she and Nino still crouched. "Is everything okay? I- _Is that Ladybug?"_

"Listen to me, you two." Chat growled, not taking the time to answer her questions, either. "I don't have a lot of time, so you need to pay attention. This is going to be difficult for both of you, but you must do as I say. Stand at the entrance to the alleyway and warn me the moment you see someone coming this way. Block us from view as best you can. This is going to be hard to watch, but I need you to do this, okay? I'll- _we'll_ \- answer all of your questions later, I promise." With that sentence, he also made a promise to Ladybug- there would be a 'we'. They were going to get through this. They had to.

"Wha- ugh?" Was all Nino said before Alya seized him by the arm to drag him to the end of the alleyway like Chat had asked. She shushed him, one panicked eye on her heroine and the other on the street next to them.

Chat lowered Ladybug to the ground. Her breathing was more laboured, her stomach covered in red. A faint moan escaped her mouth as he crouched over her helplessly.

His Miraculous gave its final warning beep, but he could hear Plagg in the back of his head, saying he was going to try and give him a couple more minutes. Plagg had the ability to extend the transformation for a limited amount of time, but at great effort and strain to himself. He only did it in total emergencies. The kwami would be horribly exhausted afterwards, but he could tell Adrien needed the suit right now.

"Ladybug?" Chat whispered in a broken voice. He picked up her gloved hand in his and kissed it lightly, then held it tight to his chest. His other hand fluttered uselessly over the wound, not knowing what to do to help. "Please, open your eyes. Please, stay with me."

A sigh escaped her mouth, her eyes fluttering slightly. Alya whimpered from behind him, Nino sniffling next to her.

"Ch- Chat" she breathed, her back arching slightly as the pain worked it's way through her body. The shock of the bullet had made her initially black out, and when she'd collapsed, a black fog had taken over her vision, weighing down her limbs and numbing her nerves. Her daze had been broken by Chat's voice, it worked it's way through the darkness to wake her back up, but with consciousness came the ability to feel pain. She gasped as she felt the agony sharply in her abdomen, her eyes opening fully to focus on Chat's face before her. "Chat…"

"Ladybug, it's me, it's me, I'm here," he nearly sobbed, relief etched on his face. "But you're shot, oh my god, there's so much blood, and I am so so sorry, oh god, but you're going to get through this, okay? You're going to stay with me!"

Ladybug fought to keep her eyes open, the agony pressing down on her. She couldn't move anything other than her head, so she managed to move it enough to nod, but a whimper escaped her mouth at the pain the movement induced. Redness filtered through her vision, and she wasn't sure she trusted Chat's words. He may have needed her to live, but she wasn't sure she could.

"What do I do?" He begged her for answers, but she had none to give.

"Ch- Chat, it hurts," she moaned, and his face twisted.

"I know, I know, and I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone after the robbers, I should have let the police deal with it like you said. Oh my god, please don't leave me, I- I can't- you need to- _oh god_ …" his voice trailed off as the sobs consumed him, and Ladybug could barely feel his grip on her hand, despite how tightly he was clutching it to him.

She vaguely was aware of other familiar voices in the background, but ignored them as she lay on the ground of the dark alleyway, staring up at the greying sky. Where was she?

Chat sniffed, pulling her head onto his lap.

"I'm s-so sorry, Ladybug, I c- can't- I don't know w- what to do. Help me, p- please, tell me how to help you. The ambulances h-had all gone when you were shot, they all had people to t-take- they won't be b- back for ages, and how d- do I- _no, Ladybug, open your eyes!"_ He shook her slightly as she closed her eyes, adamant that she must stay awake. If she closed her eyes, then she'd sleep. And if she slept, Chat wasn't sure she'd ever wake up.

"Ch- Chat, I'm here," she murmured, a glint of blue just visible. "But you need to go."

His heart plummeted.

" _What?_ "

"Y- your Miraculous, you're about to de-transform. I'll s-see who you are."

"You think I give a damn about that right now?" He barked a laugh, and he could practically hear Alya pricking up her ears behind him. Chat could feel Plagg failing fast, all his reserve strength used up. He had seconds left. "Ladybug, listen to me. I love you, okay? We're going to get you through this. Maybe Plagg can help, I just need you to hold on."

Ladybug nodded almost imperceptibly, her face ashen under the dust. Chat felt the transformation about to wear out, so he craned his neck round to meet the panicked eyes of his friends.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, and this isn't how I imagined you finding out." And then he felt the last of Plagg's strength fail, and the green glow enveloped him. Chat closed his eyes as he changed, feeling his leather suit change to jeans and a shirt. His boots melded into trainers and his hair shortened and grew neater.

Adrien opened his eyes. Alya and Nino goggled at him, mouths opened wide like fish. Nino stumbled backwards, gaping wordlessly at his best friend. Without a word, Adrien turned back to look at Ladybug where she lay, half in his lap. Her eyes were open, confusion and wonder and pain battling for prominence in their azure depths. Her forehead knitted in a slight frown, but before either of them could say anything, there was a slight tugging on the hem of Adrien's shirt.

He looked down to where Plagg was crumpled on his lap, clearly exhausted.

"Tikki," the kwami gasped through tired pants. "You need to get Tikki out of there."

Adrien frowned, his trembling hand tightening on Ladybug's limp one.

"What do you mean?" His heart was beating erratically, everything too overwhelming and emotional.

"Ladybug, you need to de-transform," Plagg muttered, struggling to stay awake himself. Using all his energy reserves like that wasn't good for him, but he'd done it for Adrien's sake. "If- if you die as Ladybug, Tikki will die with you. P- please, Ladybug, change back." Plagg's eyes drooped shut, and Adrien noticed with horror that Ladybug's did, too. Ignoring the startled squeaks that began to come from the other end of the alleyway as his reveal processed, he cupped her face urgently with his hand.

"No, no Ladybug, open your eyes, please!" He begged, terror pooling within him. "You need to change back, Plagg says it's important, please just _open your eyes_. Look at me! Please, release the transformation, _open your eyes_!"

She didn't, but she managed to open her mouth just enough to croak out a few words.

"Alya, I know you're there." There was a gasp from behind them, but Alya didn't come any closer. "I don't want you to find out this way, but _a-ahh!_ " Suddenly she cried out in pain, her body convulsing and Adrien's grip tightened on her hand.

"Please, Mari. Change back." He whispered.

"T- Tikki," Ladybug stammered, tears seeping down her face. "Spots off."

The pink glow engulfed her, and Adrien tried to ready himself for what he was about to see.

It didn't work.

Without the mask, Marinette's face was paler than he could have believed. Without the suit, her body was unbearably limp. The blood from her wound took no time at all to grow through her shirt, her hand was terrifyingly cold in his. It was bad enough seeing strong, brave Ladybug like this, but Marinette seemed so much smaller and more breakable. Adrien choked out a sob as he gazed at her broken body.

"Ma- _Marinette_!" Alya screamed, and he heard her running towards them. "Lady- Mari- n-no, Marinette, open your eyes!" The redhead sobbed as she fell to the ground next to her best friend.

Mari's eyes flickered, but she couldn't seem to make them move open enough to see her friend's face.

"A- Alya, I'm sorry, I c- couldn't- I wanted to tell you…"

"I don't care," sobbed Alya. "Y- you have to live, okay? Please, we need you to l- live."

Adrien heard Nino approach them, sniffing. Adrien didn't mind that no-one was on watch anymore- he and Mari were both de-transformed, so he didn't have to worry about civilians watching them change back.

"Marinette, c'mon." Nino pleaded, kneeling next to Alya. "Hold on, okay? I think there are more ambulances c- coming. You have to stay with us, okay?"

She nodded, her face screwed up in pain. For a moment, there was no sound other than the three crying and her gasps of agony.

"Marinette…" came a quiet whisper from somewhere on the ground. The three looked down to see a little red creature holding onto one of Marinette's fingers.

"Tikki," whimpered Marinette, her hand twitching slightly. "You o- okay?"

The kwami nodded, great big tears pooling in her eyes.

"It was your physical form that sustained the i- injury, as long as I'm n- not part of you, I'm f- fine. Out of the t-transformation, the wound c-can't hurt me. But you n- need to live, Mari, alright?"

Marinette nodded slightly, her face screwed up in agony.

"I'll try."

"Oh, _Marinette_ ," Tikki wept, flying into the girl's pigtail to nestle against her cheek. "You're the best Ladybug. P-Please, stay, don't make me ch- choose again, not for years and years and years."

Marinette let out a sob, Nino and Alya watching in awe and confusion as she was comforted by her kwami.

Suddenly, Alya pulled out her phone.

"There must be something online," she murmured panickedly. "Something about bullet wounds, something that will help."

Nino pulled out his own mobile, and joined her desperate search, but Adrien couldn't make himself let go of Marinette's pale, limp hand. It was the first time he'd held it without either of them wearing gloves, and it felt so small and cold in his own.

Marinette let out another little sob, and he found himself stroking her hair with his free hand, making shushing sounds through his own tears.

"You're going to be fine, okay? I can hear sirens, there are ambulances on the way."

"A- Adrien," her voice was weak and it hurt to speak. It hurt to breathe, to beat her heart, it hurt to live, but she managed to crack her eyes open enough to see the face of the one she loved most in the world. "Y- you're Chat…"

"God, Mari… I'm sorry." Adrien looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry I'm me, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier, I'm sorry I went after the robbers, I- I'm sorry you got hit instead of me. I- I love you, Marinette, and if- no, _when_ you get through this, I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much. _I promise_. Please… you just have to _live_."

He felt a light squeezing on the hand that was holding hers, and his gaze snapped back to her face in shock.

"I love you, Adrien." Her voice was stronger than it had been since the shot. Her eyes, still fogged with pain and fading consciousness, looked into his with an intensity he would have thought impossible. "I love you, Chat Noir. I love all of you, and I always w- will. I'm going to live, okay, I _will_. I'm not going to leave you. Promise."

Tears dripped down Adrien's cheeks as he gazed at her, then lifted her hand to his mouth to place a kiss on the back. A pained smile managed to curl the corners of her mouth, before she inhaled sharply and her back arched. A cry of pain left her mouth, and Adrien's heart skipped a beat.

He whipped his head to look at their friends.

" _Anything_?"

Alya was crying non-stop, her face streaky with tear-tracks as she searched frantically. Nino's eyes were also blurry with tears, but not too much to read out the text he'd found.

"We don't take out the bullet. It might aggravate the e-entry wound. But we n- need to stop her from going into shock," he whimpered, his chest shaking with barely- suppressed sobs. "She n-needs to stay awake and warm."

"What does shock look like?" Adrien asked quickly, Marinette's pulse barely noticeable in her hand as he clutched it. She was so cold…

"Uh, clammy skin, weak pulse, fainting," Alya listed in a thick voice. She rubbed her face with a spare hand, the sound of encroaching ambulances still despairingly far away. "Feeling abnormally cold to the touch, and dizziness. The most important thing to do is to make sure she stays awake and warm."

Immediately and in perfect unison, the three shrugged off their respective jackets or over-shirts. It would have been humourous had the situation not been so dire and terrifying. They lay the clothes over Mari's shivering body, and she gave them a weak smile through her tears and suffering.

"I'm going to go flag down an ambulance." Nino told them abruptly, dusting off his jeans as he stood. "And Mari- don't you go dying on them while I'm gone, okay? I'll see you soon, promise." He kissed his hand, then pressed it lightly against her forehead with a weak smile. Alya and Adrien heard his running footprints recede and turned back to Marinette. Her whole body was shaking, the blood-loss and trauma pushing her body to the limit.

"It's so dark," she gasped, fighting to keep her eyes open. Adrien's face swam in and out of her vision, everything tinged with blackness. Spots danced in front of her eyes and the torturous pain seemed to be roaring in her ears. "It hurts, Adrien…" Marinette let out a sob and scrunched her eyes closed in an effort to shut out the pain.

"I know, Marinette, I know it does. But you need to keep your eyes open, you need to stay awake." The strength in Adrien's voice surprised everyone present, including himself. Tears streamed down his face in pain and fear, but he was adamant that she stay with him. "Mari- open your eyes."

She managed to force them open, but squeaked when that didn't reveal anything to her sight. The blackness of pain and unconsciousness pressed in on her, the bellow in her ears nearly drowning everything out.

"Adrien, I'm scared." Mari whimpered, her hand clenching around his. She could feel Tikki nuzzling her cheek and knew Alya was still kneeling by her, but Adrien's was the only name she seemed to be able to say. "Please, it hurts so bad. Everything's so dark and loud, my eyes are so heavy… I can't, I-I just… please make the pain _stop_."

Adrien felt his heart wrench apart at her sobs, Alya's head bowing in pain next to him, her shoulders shaking. He could hear Nino yelling in the distance and knew help was coming.

"Marinette, the paramedics are coming, you just need to hold on a little longer." He promised, his voice trembling. Mari's eyes moved to his, but they were blank and unseeing as the hurt throbbed through her.

"Will the pain stop?" She asked, her voice child-like in its pleading.

"Yes, the pain will stop," he lied, unable to betray to her how little he knew. And how scared he was that the pain wouldn't stop- not until she was gone.

Marinette nodded, trusting his words.

"Alya?" She croaked, and out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw the redhead jerk.

"Y-yes, Mari?"

"You're the best f- fan a superhero could ask for." Marinette coughed, her body convulsing in agony at the action. "And the best friend. I- I'm sorry I never told you, I only w-wanted to protect you. And... I was afraid y-you would think less of Ladybug if you k-knew she was me."

Voices drew nearer to the alleyway, and Adrien could make Nino's out among them. _Help's coming Marinette, just a little longer…_

"Don't say that!" Alya gasped, clutching Marinette's knee. "You're my best friend, Mari, and now Ladybug is, too. That's the second-best thing I could ever ask for."

"What's the first?" The bluenette's voice was barely a whisper. Alya sobbed and clutched onto Mari even tighter.

"For you to stay. You need to stay, Mari, Paris needs Ladybug and I need Marinette. Please, stay."

"In here!" Nino's voice rang loudly through the alleyway and suddenly an ambulance was parked outside it. Nino and three paramedics rushed towards them, two more leaping out of the vehicle.

"Out of the way!" Commanded one, kneeling down by Mari's head. There was a flash of red as Tikki darted into Adrien's pocket, and he discreetly scooped up Plagg and hid him in his jacket. Adrien managed to stumble up, reluctantly letting go of Mari's hand as more paramedics crowded around her. Nino was next to him, gently pulling Alya away. A stretcher was hurried past him, and he could barely make out Mari's gasping breaths through all the hustle.

Adrien clapped a hand to his mouth to stop the sobs from screaming out of him, backing out of the way as they carried the stretcher past him, towards the ambulance. Alya wrapped her arms around his middle, crying into his chest, while Nino gripped his shoulder, tears cascading slowly down his face.

The last they saw of Marinette was her eyes closing as the ambulance doors shut behind her.


	25. Chapter 25

I'm accidentally loving the reactions I get through cliffhangers... You guys are actually hilarious when you're mad at me for making you cry (at like 1:45 in the morning in one case!) So I'mma keep doing them. This one's a little shorter than usual, but I just needed this chapter as a segway into the next section. The story's kinda drawing to a close I reckon- but we've still got a bit of a way to go, don't panic! And before you start on at me with the paranoia and conspiracy theories, both Cynthia and Sara (introduced in this chapter) are perfectly nice and innocent, there's no ulterior motives or secret evilness, okay? Now, i'd best let you get on. Enjoy the pain! I certainly got some while writing this... xx

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The moment the ambulance's engine revved to life, Adrien's legs seemed to crumple beneath him. He covered his face with his hands as he sank to his knees, animal cries wrenching themselves out of him in agony. Alya gave a long, low moan as the ambulance drove off, sirens blaring. Adrien heard Nino fall to the ground next to him, but couldn't stop the sobs enough to comfort his friends.

He felt like he was tearing apart, the guilt and fear and pain bursting from within him. He looped an arm around his stomach, trying to hold his body together while the other hand twisted in his hair. From behind, another hand looped with his and he grasped it tightly, grateful for Nino's warmth. Alya's sobs punctuated his ragged breaths on alternate beats, but knowing they were there too was somehow comforting.

For a moment, they all just sat there, holding each other and sharing their grief and fear. Footsteps slowly approached, but Adrien stayed where he was, cowering on the ground and weeping like a child.

"You guys are her friends, huh?" Asked a woman's voice quietly. Adrien looked up through his tears to see the grave face of one of the paramedics. Her brown eyes were twisted in sympathy, but there was a slight urgency in her voice. Alya squeaked an affirmation, and Nino pulled her into him so she could cry into his chest.

"Y- yeah, we're her friends," he muttered thickly, his glasses streaky from crying.

The paramedic nodded.

"Okay, is there anything you can tell me about what happened? Did any of you see how she got shot?"

Adrien saw Nino shoot him a worried look. He'd seen it, he's _caused_ it, but how could he tell the paramedic without revealing their secrets? He wiped the wetness from his face with his hands, clearing his throat a couple of times before he was able to speak.

"I d- did, I was there." His voice was quiet, and he hoped the paramedic couldn't hear how it was laced with guilt. That might raise questions.

"Okay, what's your name, sweetheart?" The paramedic rested a hand on his shoulder as she crouched in front of the sobbing teenagers.

It had been so long since Adrien had received an endearment like that, it took him by surprise. But it also made him want to burst into tears all over again.

"Adrien," he managed to choke out in a gravelly voice.

"And her name's Marinette." Whispered Alya from within Nino's embrace. "Oh, _Marinette_ …" sobs echoed around them once more as Alya dissolved again.

"I'm Sara," the paramedic told them, her eyes kind despite the gravity of the situation. "Alright, Adrien, is there anything you can tell me about what happened? I assume it had something to do with what happened at the bank, right?"

Adrien realised his whole body was trembling, but he couldn't seem to get it to stop. The guilt and fear seemed to be eating at him from the inside, a black hole opening up within him as the events of the day threatened to pull him down into it. But he took a deep breath, and managed to talk, despite never stopping crying.

"We- we were outside a shop nearby when it exploded," he mumbled. "We all got thrown away, and I th- think I hit my head, everything was k- kinda blurry. But she was amazing, sh- she helped me up and got us all to safety, here. Then she w- went back to help other people get away from the f- fire."

Sara's eyebrows raised slightly in shock.

"Well, that was astonishingly brave of her."

"I went after her," Adrien continued, tears coursing down his ash-streaked face as he recounted the events. He revisited the fear, the panic he'd felt when she'd run away from him, towards the danger, and then the relief, the joy at holding her in his arms again, even whilst engulfed in smoke. "I couldn't l- let her go alone. I found her pulling some people to s- safety, she wouldn't come back with me, she said she couldn't j- just sit by knowing people were in danger. So I h- helped her, we took people to the ambulances. She was so b- brave… and then the fire engines put out the f- fire and we could see again without the smoke. Mari insisted on s- staying to help more people, and then the robbers appeared. Th- they shot into the air and told everyone to get back. I, uh… managed to p- pull her down, she wanted to keep helping people, and two men went inside. Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared and started fighting the r- robbers, they knocked the first three out. B- but then there was another one in the b- building, and he shot at Chat and Ladybug. It missed them, but Mari had just st- stood up to go comfort some scared kids, and it h- hit her. I d- didn't know what to do, all the ambulances had g- gone, so I brought her here. And then… you came." Adrien finished lamely, exhausted from his on-the-spot lying. He hoped he'd altered enough details so Sara wouldn't make the connection between Ladybug's and Mari's injury, but his brain and body were too frazzled to double-check his lies.

Sara nodded for a moment, clearly processing his story. She looked at the three friends as they cowered on the dirty floor of the alleyway, sympathy flooding her face.

"Right, I think we'd probably best get you three to the hospital and checked for shock. I think it might be an idea to make sure your heads are alright after the explosion, and your lungs. Ash is a nasty thing, don't want you breathing too much of it in. More ambulances are on the way, we'll get you three in the next one, alright?"

Sara stood, offering her hands to Nino and Adrien to help them up. They took them gratefully, Nino pulling Alya up with him as he went. The three shuffled towards the end of the alleyway where noise and bustle were beginning to return to the streets of Paris.

The paramedic went off to rendezvous with some of her colleagues, leaving the teens alone for a minute. Nino and Alya stood at Adrien's shoulders as they waited, his heart beating erratically as the pain inside of him grew even more. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. He was killing himself in his fear and not knowing. His throat burned, his eyes stung and his entire body ached. But what about Marinette?

Marinette, his sweet, brave, beautiful Ladybug. Kind, sincere, strong- but injured, _dying_ because of his rashness and inconsideration.

Who knew what was happening to her now. Was she at the hospital yet? Was she in surgery? Was she awake? _Was she al-_ no, he refused to let himself ask that question.

She _was_ alive. _She had to be_.

"Did she really not know?" Nino's voice was barely a whisper, the words trembling in the boy's grief and horror.

"I couldn't seem to tell her." Adrien replied quietly, knowing to what his friend was referring. "I was scared of how she'd react. I didn't know if she'd be happy or not."

Alya gave a small laugh.

"I get that. I don't know if _I'm_ happy or not." There was a slight pause. "Oh- god, no, o- of _course_ I'm not happy, I only- I just meant, the reveal- I'm not happy, I was talking about Ladybug and Chat, oh god," Adrien cut off her stammers by wrapping her hand in his.

"I know, Alya I know.. I was ecstatic when I found out. I think I was, anyway. There was a lot going on."

"How long have you known?" Alya squeezed his hand back.

"Not long," Adrien confessed, feeling his friends' eyes on him. "Only when she broke her leg did I made the connection."

Nino swore softly.

"That means- the secret- the one Chloe knows? As in, _Chloe knows_?"

Adrien nodded grimly.

"I'm going to kill that bitch." Sighed Alya determinedly. Nino gripped Adrien's shoulder.

"I'll help," he vowed.

Sara still hadn't returned, and passers-by were giving the dishevelled teenagers worried looks, wondering why they were just standing there instead of in an ambulance.

"This wasn't how I wanted her to find out." Adrien murmured after a moment. "I wanted it to be romantic and sweet and cool- whenever I worked up the courage, anyways."

"Romantic?" That was a loaded question, if there ever was one. Adrien resigned himself to answer Alya, closing his eyes.

"We were kind of dating ever since I found out. It just sort of… happened."

Alya gave a little gasp of shock, a giggle working it's way through her despair.

"God. You're finally canon. It's all a LadyNoir shipper could ever ask for."

Adrien smiled weakly. "Yay."

Alya's lower lip trembled as she looked across the street to where Sara was talking urgently with her colleagues.

Nino tightened his grip on Adrien's shoulder.

"She'll be okay." He sounded unsure himself, but Adrien appreciated the words nonetheless. "Mari's tough as hell, we've always known that. And now we know she's got all this awesome magic and stuff? She's going to be amazing."

Adrien nodded, his eyes filling with tears again as he stared ahead.

"I know."

Finally, Sara was darting back towards them.

"There's an empty ambulance about a minute away that's coming for you guys. I'll come with you to the hospital and make sure you're checked out, alright?"

Moments later, the ambulance arrived and Nino helped Alya on before clambering in himself. Adrien prepared to follow, but Sara rested her hand on his shoulder. He looked up into her warm, kindly face in question.

"Adrien, I know how hard this is on you three. But I want you to know that from what you told me, I can tell that Marinette's a fighter. She's going to pull through, I can feel it. She sounds like a real hero."

Adrien nodded, and Sara let go, smiling comfortingly at him before going to sit up front with the driver. He nodded to himself again, willing himself to believe her words.

"She is a hero." Alya whispered from behind him as he shut the door. She and Nino were seated, holding hands as the vehicle jolted into motion. "She's going to be fine."

Adrien swallowed, his grip on the seat below him tightened.

"I know she is. She has to be."


	26. Chapter 26

Originally I was going to leave this as (even more) of a cliffhanger, but decided to give you guys a bit of a break. You're welcome... I know it's not total closure, but it'll do for now. This isn't much of an action chapter, but I feel it's important regarding loose ends and stuff. Plus, it's cute! Also, Origins spoilers within! I'm not entirely sure when this story takes place, it's just a few years after Stoneheart I guess. All you need to know it: it's after the rain scene, and Chat and Ladybug have been partners for a couple of years. Just go with it! xx

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 _Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap._

Nino couldn't get his leg to keep still, the jerky movements beating out a rhythm on the linoleum tiles below. Alya sat across from him, her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in them. She hadn't moved in about an hour. Adrien was curled up in a window seat, staring blankly out at the darkness that had smothered the city nearly four hours ago.

The three had been scrutinised for any negative after-effects of the day's events upon arriving at the hospital, but other than a couple of bruises they were fine. Physically, anyway. After being given the all-clear, they went immediately to the front desk and asked about Mari. The nurse currently there was irritatingly unhelpful, clearly more interested in his body-building magazine than three distraught teenagers. It had taken them ages to elicit any kind of information from him, and all that they'd gotten was that she was still in surgery.

That left them with nothing to do, but wait, and call to tell their parents (or Nathalie) where they were. Adrien had hung up before Nathalie could tell him to come home, and only prayed she didn't send the Gorilla to come and drag him back.

Tom and Sabine had arrived shortly after they had taken seats in the waiting room, the panic on their faces enough to make Alya burst into tears again. Adrien's stomach had curled with guilt at the horror on their faces, tears streaming down Sabine's face as they were told nothing of importance.

For now, Adrien had decided to let her parents know only the story he'd told the paramedic, letting the Ladybug parts remain a secret. He knew it wasn't up to him to reveal Mari, but if things went… _badly,_ he felt he'd have to honour her bravery in the right way by telling her parents who she really was. That way, they could mourn her properly. He felt it was only fair to her and them that way.

There had been more crying, more hugging and more pain after he'd recounted to them his abridged version of the day's events, and they'd all eventually settled down to wait for news.

Sniffles crossed the room at regular intervals. Sabine was crying again. Adrien didn't blame her, but the sounds of her weeping made it that much harder for him to keep himself together. At some point in the last few hours, a horrific numbness had taken over his body, leaving him trapped in the maelstrom of his mind. His guilt and fear tortured him, remorse over his rashness and inobservance taunting him with images of her broken body lying in his arms.

It should have been him, he knew it should. It was his fault, this was all on him. If he hadn't been so bullish and hot-headed, he wouldn't have rushed out to confront the robbers. They weren't akumatized, to deal with them wasn't his job. But he did it anyway, he wasn't sure why. He'd been on a high of adrenaline, of too many emotions. So he was careless, and the girl he loved paid the price.

" _Oh."_ The word that had slipped from her mouth before she'd collapsed played on repeat in his head, his fingers feeling the ghostly remnants of her blood flowing over them again as he replayed the moment he ran to catch her. The way she was so limp in his arms, how he'd clutched her to him as he ran from civilian eyes, the way she'd whispered how she loved both sides of him, _those_ were the images he kept thinking of. He thought of them both because he had no choice, but also because he masochistically wanted to. He couldn't help it, he kept replaying them because he knew they might be the last memories of her he ever had. They had so many but also so few memories of each other, and he couldn't bear to forget a single one.

Stars winked at Adrien through the window he stared out of, and he felt a stirring in his pockets. Tikki had quietly cried herself to sleep hours ago, but Plagg had long since recovered enough to be a comfort. Saying unusually little, the kwami had remained a reassuring presence in the boy's pocket, knowing the pain Adrien felt and also the space but proximity he needed.

Adrien looked down at the movement to see Tikki's sleep-glazed eyes peering owlishly up at him. Knowing the waiting room was also occupied by normal civilians, nurses and Tom and Sabine, he discreetly placed a nondescriptly-trembling to his lips, and Tikki nodded. She fluttered upwards to sit on the windowsill in front of him, sitting in comforting silence for a few minutes.

"Where's Plagg?" Adrien asked quietly.

"Asleep again. It took a lot out of him, holding onto that transformation for so long. He really loves you." Tikki murmured back.

"I know. I love him too."

The silence stretched between them again.

"You shouldn't feel guilty." She whispered after a while. Adrien turned his head to her slightly, but didn't speak. "It wasn't your fault. And I know Marinette wouldn't- _doesn't_ blame you. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself either."

Adrien looked hollowly back out the window, letting his gaze wander as he was strangled by the pain.

"But it _was_ my fault." He whimpered, his face scrunching as he fought to keep the tears at bay. "I should have _listened_ to her. I should have waited for the police, I shouldn't have gone after the robbers. If I hadn't, n- none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have been shot, Plagg wouldn't have exhausted himself by p- prolonging the transformation, and all of the pain everyone is feeling wouldn't be here. I… I j- just can't stand not knowing how sh- she is, whether she's awake, whether she's out of s- surgery, w- whether she's _alive_."

Tikki patted his hand where it rested on the sill beside her as he scrubbed the other one over his face in an effort to rid himself of the sobs he could feel building up inside him.

They'd been waiting here far too long. Shouldn't they have heard something by now?

No news was good news, right? But silence is deadly, and Adrien wasn't sure how much more he could take.

"I'm supposed to _p- protect_ her. I should have taken that b- bullet. I f- failed, and if… if Marinette d- dies I'll spend the rest of my life knowing it was m- my fault."

Tikki wrapped one of her tiny hands around his little finger and squeezed, Adrien looking at her in surprise at her strength. The tears were well and truly present now, but he couldn't be bothered to wipe them away.

"Marinette knew what she was doing, Adrien." The kwami whispered, staring at him meaningfully with those enormous blue eyes of hers. "She knew what she was doing by putting herself in danger for you. She had no regrets about doing that, believe me. Marinette took that bullet for you on purpose, and she'd take many more. She had no reservations about protecting you, Mari's long felt guilty about how many times you've taken the blow for her."

"So this was what? Her paying me back?" Adrien snorted, his bottom lip trembling unimpressively.

"This was her _loving you_ , Chat Noir." Tikki's voice was powerful, her intensity startling in such close proximity. Now he knew where Ladybug got it from. "She had the opportunity to protect you when you couldn't protect yourself, and she couldn't live with herself if she'd stayed back. Marinette knew she had magic healing and that you didn't; the chances of you surviving a gunshot wound were much smaller than hers. Even so, Ladybug would gladly die for Chat Noir-" Adrien blanched "-and Marinette would gladly die for Adrien."

"Don't- don't say that." Adrien buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as tremors rocked through him. He breathed shallowly through his mouth, trying not to let the black despair engulf him. "She ca- she can't die, _she can't_. It's not _fair_ , she has to l- live, she's Ladybug, she's _Marinette_ , she d- deserves better…"

Tikki floated up to pull his hands gently away from his face.

"So do you," she stated firmly, "so does Chat Noir. You just have to trust her. You have to trust that Marinette loves you enough not to leave you. You have to trust that she's fighting with everything she's got to stay for you, to stay with all of you. Can you do that?"

Adrien took a deep breath, closing his eyes and forcing his heart to calm. He opened to look back at Tikki, his chest rising and falling in a controlled fashion. He nodded.

"I can."

Tikki gave him a small smile, then floated down to land next to his hands on the windowsill again.

Footsteps approached and he tensed, wanting to whip Tikki out of sight, but it was Nino's voice that spoke.

"Hey." He mumbled, sitting next to the blond boy.

"Hey." Adrien cleared his throat, not bothering to wipe the tear tracks off his face. He didn't care, and he knew Nino wouldn't either. There was a silence, which Nino broke with a gentle but derisive snort. Adrien looked over in shock to see his friend shaking his head with an odd smile on his face. "What?"

"I never know what you're meant to say in these situations," Nino explained with a shrug. "'How're you holding up, tiger?' just doesn't feel like it'll cut it."

Adrien snorted, turning back to the window.

" _Tiger_ being the operative word."

Nino chuckled.

"Right. _Chat Noir_... boy, after all this is over, Alya's going to have one hell of a bone to pick with the two of you, kitty."

Adrien stiffened, and Nino noticed immediately.

"Uh, I- sorry, I, um, what did I say?"

"That's what she called me." Adrien whispered, an undeniable ache pressing on his chest at the sound of Mari's endearment for him. "Kitty. I… I don't know if I'll ever h- hear her say that ag- gain."

Suddenly, Nino was gripping his shoulder.

"You will." He promised, his voice forceful. "This will be over soon, and Mari's going to be just great. She's always been one hell of a fighter, this isn't going to be any different. She's got so much to live for- especially now she knows who you are."

The blond turned to his friend, desperate for reassurances, for comfort.

"Really?"

"Really. If you two really were together as, y'know, superheroes and stuff without her knowing _you're_ Chat Noir, she's definitely going to want to stick around for the relationship _now_."

"Actually, I never really got the chance to properly talk to you and Alya about that." Adrien remembered. "You know, her feelings for me- as Adrien, and stuff. You only said that she didn't hate me, she'd just been in love with me for years. So, uh…what- _exactly-_ was that all about?"

Nino shrugged and looked out of the window, a rueful smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You remember the umbrella?"

"Uh- you- um, what?"

There was a sigh and Nino turned back to Adrien.

"You know- like your second day at school? It was raining and you told Mari that you'd never had a friend before, then you gave her your umbrella."

"Oh. Y- yeah, I remember that. What about it?"

Nino raised his eyebrows meaningfully, and it took Adrien a moment to catch on.

"Wait, she's been in love with me since _then_? Th- that was years ago! She practically hated me that day because of the gum, th- then because of _that_ she decided n- not to?"

"It wasn't exactly a decision." Piped up a new voice, Alya plopping down on the seat next to Nino to sigh dramatically. "Believe me. It's been exhausting, let me tell you. Adrien this, Adrien that… basically every day she was calling me up to moan about you."

"M- moan about me?" Adrien asked nervously.

"How you were so _kind_ and _sweet_ and _handsome_ and _deep_ and _smart_ and _amazing._ How she was so annoyed at herself for making that snap judgement when she found out you knew Chloe. How she was so miserable that she was ' _just Marinette_ ' and you'd never notice her. How she was so angry with herself for being pathetic enough to be totally and irrevocably in love with you."

"Oh. Th- that's quite a lot to process." Adrien admitted sheepishly. "I honestly had no idea. To be honest, I was half-convinced she still hated me until you two told me… uh, _otherwise_."

"But you love her back right?" Nino frowned at him.

"Of course!" Adrien yelped, nearly jumping out of his seat. "I've basically been in love with Ladybug since Ivan's akumatisation, the _first_ akumatisation, and I've only fallen harder for her since I found out she was Marinette."

Alya gave a happy little sigh, dreamy contentment crossing her face as the reality of the situation momentarily deteriorated.

"She's going to be really happy to hear that."

With precision timing, a voice rang through the waiting room, jolting the teenagers out of their conversation and bringing them back to their fear and anxiety.

"Um, the Dupain-Chengs?" Called a nurse, her brow furrowed as she read out the name.

The five who had been waiting for that name jumped up and darted over, Alya gripping onto Adrien's elbow for support.

"That's us. Is there any news? Can we see her?" Tom was practically holding up his wife as he spoke urgently to the nurse.

"Well, Marinette is out of surgery, but she's still unconscious and very unstable. Thankfully the bullet missed her stomach, but her spleen took a substantial amount of the damage. She also lost a lot of blood, and sustained a lot of muscle and nerve damage."

Alya let out a little squeak, her grip tightening on Adrien's arm. He felt like he was floating, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation. His mind was dizzied, his stomach swooping in something akin to vertigo and he couldn't seem to remember how to breathe.

"We still don't know how much she'll be able to heal, I'm afraid," the nurse continued apologetically. "It's too early to know how much her body will be able to take. Trauma and short-term shock are very dangerous regarding this sort of incident. They're killers just as much as blood loss or organ damage, and unfortunately, she's had no shortage of that. Sadly, there's nothing to tell you at this stage other than she's definitely a fighter. It's remarkable really- your little Marinette was working _so hard_ to stay here with all of you, that she kept working off the sedatives during the surgery. Unfortunately, in order to keep her under for the duration of the operation we had to give Marinette some very strong tranquilizers, so she's definitely going to be unconscious for a few hours yet. And that's not factoring in how long her body's going to want to keep her under for- in order to sort of get used to the after-effects of the wound and the surgery. She remain unconscious for quite a while. I'm sorry I can't say more, but I can say that based on how hard she was trying to wake up and be with all of you, and on the story I've heard of how it happened, that Marinette is an amazing girl. I know she's going to do everything she can to heal ASAP to come back to you all."

Adrien sank into a nearby chair and pressed a shaking hand to his head as the nurse left with a sympathetic smile.

 _She'd better._


	27. Chapter 27

I know the story's kinda slowed down over the past couple of chapters, but I feel like sometimes the little conversations and deeper character-discovering scenes are just as important as all the action and stuff. Rest assured, this chapter does further the storyline, but most of the upcoming drama will feature in the next chapter (sorry XD) Still, I really like Adrien x Nino friendship fics, hence _this,_ there's other stuff in here. Yes, there's a slight cliffhanger, but you guys should be used to those by now! xx

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"… and as of yet, no new information has come to light regarding Ladybug's predicament. The people of Paris are hopeful for a speedy recovery, displaying vigils and shrines in the heroine's honour, but considering the uncharacteristic silence from both superheroes, we may have to prepare for the worst-"

Nino shut off the news report with a disgusted "Ugh."

Adrien was glad- practically every news channel in Paris was talking about the afternoon's events non-stop, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take. There were only so many angles from which he could watch Ladybug get shot before he went mad- seriously, how did so many people manage to film it?

"Thanks." He muttered now, passing a hand over his face to scrub away his exhaustion and frustration. "That was driving me crazy."

Nino shrugged understandingly. It was now around nine in the morning the day after the bank explosion. Alya and Marinette's parents had dropped off a while back, but Adrien was in no mood to sleep, and Nino wasn't sure he wanted to leave him on his own. The doctors still maintained that Marinette wasn't allowed visitors, but had conceded that they may be allowed in at some point that morning. Miraculously, no-one's parents had arrived and forced them to come home, so everyone had spent the night worrying in the uncomfortable, orange, plastic chairs provided. The waiting room's TV had been turned on by some other waiting families during the night, but now they'd been allowed back to see their respective patients, control fell to the two boys.

"No problem. It was making me anxious, too." The boys stretched, Nino yawning as he placed the TV remote on the coffee table to his left. "It's just… all of Paris is worried about Ladybug, but it seems, like, _crazy_ that hardly anyone's concerned about _Mari_ herself. I mean, she's the one who did all that stuff, she's the actual heroine, but everyone's all scared for the superhero they don't know the real name of. I dunno… doesn't it ever make you angry that the _real_ you never gets recognition or praise? Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, that makes sense." The blond sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair, his body weighed down by exhaustion. "But we don't do it for recognition or whatever. We do it 'cause we were chosen to, we have a duty to honour our kwamis and do the right thing."

Nino mulled that over for a moment, the waiting room becoming busier around them as more Parisians woke up- and therefore got injured. He dropped his voice so their odd conversation would go un-eavesdropped-upon.

"I get that. I don't know if I could ever do it, though… all that running around after the Hawkmoth dude, and all those heroics and stuff would just freak me out. I'm not so good under pressure, I'd probably just bail or trip over in front of everyone."

Adrien chuckled, his stomach rumbling. He hadn't eaten in around a day, as they'd never had the chance to order at the pizzeria.

"Well as long as you trip over and push the akuma into the Seine or something, it should be fine."

His friend grinned back at him, their conventional banter masking their fatigue and fear. Adrien leaned back in his chair, resting his head on the back of his chair to look up at the ceiling as he spoke.

"Do you think she's awake yet?"

Obviously, Nino didn't need clarification to understand who the boy was talking about. He shook his head ruefully. "Nah, the doctors said she'd be out for hours at minimum. Plus, I reckon they'd have come to get us- or her parents at least. She'd have made 'em."

Adrien sighed, his insides twisting in loneliness and longing.

"You're probably right. I… I just miss her. I want to see her. Like, I know she's alive and I'm _so_ relieved, but it's like the nurse said- it's still too early to really tell. She's- she's alive, _for now_. We don't know how this is going to pan out and… I _really_ don't like not knowing."

Nino could hear the tears gathering in his friend's voice and made a face. He hated waiting, too.

"Look, dude- it's like _literally everyone_ has been saying. Marinette's one _hell_ of a fighter, okay? She'll be fine."

Adrien groaned, leaning forwards to bury his face in his hands, frustration nearly overwhelming him.

"Ugh, I know, I know. I'm… _so_ anxious… _and_ tired and crabby and scared and guilty and all this other crap. I'm sorry, dude. I'm just worried, I need to see her. I feel like I have to check with my own eyes that she's still here. Even if she's unconscious."

Nino nodded his understanding just as another nurse walked into the waiting room, clipboard in hand. The boys' eyes flickered to her automatically, waiting eagerly. The nurse scanned the clipboard, then looked up to raise his voice to call out the name they'd been longing to hear.

"Dupain-Cheng?"

Adrien reacted first, scrambling out of his seat to dart over to the man while Nino followed at a more sedated pace, stopping to shake awake Alya and the _actual_ Dupain-Chengs first. Adrien hopped on the spot impatiently as they made their way over, too anxious to wait much longer.

 _Come on come on come on come on._

"Can we see her? Is she awake?" Were the sleep- thickened words forced out of Sabine's mouth as she rubbed the doze out of her eyes to look expectantly at the nurse.

The nurse smiled, amused by the eagerness clearly displayed by the little group in front of him.

"Sadly, no- Marinette's not awake yet, but the doctors have said she's stable enough to be allowed visitors. I'm afraid it's limited to three at a time, so maybe the parents first and the friends after? They'll have to be quite short visits, too. My colleague's just over there, she'll show you to your daughter's ward."

Adrien felt like screaming, but managed to nod his head in consent as the Dupain-Chengs rushed off after the redhead the nurse had pointed out. He, Alya and Nino hung back, impatiently anticipating the moment they were finally allowed to see their friend. The nurse waited for a moment too, until all the other staff members were out of earshot. He beckoned to the three conspiratorially, and they leaned in, intrigued.

"And technically it's strictly relatives-only." The nurse whispered with a slight grin. "So I suggest that the three of you present yourselves as either extraordinarily diverse-looking siblings, or very intimate cousins, okay?" With a wink, the nurse straightened up and left.

Alya took a nearby seat, her recent doze still slurring her words.

"Well, at least she's stable, if not awake." She yawned, rubbing at her eyes. "I hope the doctors let us see her."

"We'll just have to be sneaky." Nino suggested.

Adrien sank into the chair next to her.

"It sounds awful, but I hope Tom and Sabine are quick. Like, I get that they're her parents and they've spent all night agonizing over her, too, but I can't wait."

"I know what you mean," Nino sighed, rubbing his stomach. "I just want to get it over with. I feel like I can't eat anything until I've seen her. And that's a big deal, because I haven't skipped a meal in _decades_."

"Dude, you're sixteen. Just how many decades do you think you've lived for?"

"Enough to know that skipping a meal isn't something to be taken lightly, okay Cat Boy?"

The light-hearted teasing continued for about half an hour as the teens tried to distract themselves from their nerves and impatience. Finally, the redhead that the Dupain-Chengs had followed earlier reappeared, and beckoned them with a smile.

"Your turn, guys. Monsieur and Madame Dupain-Cheng have finished their visit and decided to go straight home, so Marinette's all yours, okay?"

They didn't need much prompting, leaping after her as she turned back the way she'd came. She could clearly sense their anxiety to see their friend, as she practically power-walked through the corridors to the side of the hospital that housed Marinette's ward.

"Alright, she's in here. She's in a single ward, so you guys have got some privacy, but you can only stay for about… thirty minutes, okay? I'll be back to fetch you then. If she wakes up or you need anything, there's a call button on her headrest." Giving them an encouraging smile, the nurse turned and walked away.

Adrien rested his hand on the door handle, but didn't open it. He suddenly felt a bizarre onset of trepidation. His body stiffened, and he felt a coldness drip down his spine.

How was he supposed to do this? He didn't know if he could actually stand to see her lying there, machines keeping her alive, her body covered in a white sheet. He didn't understand how he was supposed to bear not seeing her eyes open, or hearing her voice. Dread curdled in his stomach, a great pressure forcing itself on his body.

After a moment of stillness and silence, Alya spoke up.

"Uh, Adrien?" She said nervously, placing a hand gingerly on his shoulder.

"Uh-huh?" He choked out, feeling like a giant hand was crushing down on his windpipe.

"You doing okay?"

The concern in his friend's voice alleviated the pressure, knowing that he wasn't alone. He swallowed, but his voice was still hoarse.

"I'm just scared." Adrien whispered, his hand still clenched on the handle. _What was he doing?_ He was wasting valuable Marinette-visiting time, he'd been anticipating this for hours. And now he'd decided to go all scaredy-cat. "Of… what it'll be like. What- what if she doesn't look like Marinette? What if she doesn't smell like Marinette? What if she doesn't wake up? _What if she does?_ I don't know how to handle this, I- I feel so guilty, and scared, and nervous, and then guilty for feeling scared, I- um, just- ugh…"

Alya squeezed his shoulder. Nino spoke next, his voice soft.

"It's okay, bro. Take all the time you need. This is a bigger deal to you than us," Alya shot him a frown, which he silenced with a glare, "this isn't just Marinette for you, dude- this is Ladybug, too. I get it, it's like there's two girls in there. You've got double the emotions, and that can't be cool."

Understanding now what Nino meant, Alya nodded.

"Just know, Adrien, that it _is_ Marinette in there. It is our friend, however she may look, or- or _smell_ , not that I'm all too familiar with that particular aspect of her."

Adrien choked out a dry chuckle, and he could feel himself un-tensing.

"You can do this."

"Okay." He took a deep breath, squaring himself. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go see Marinette."

He pulled open the door.


	28. Chapter 28

Finally, the Easter holidays have arrived, meaning I can finally get back on schedule for this writing! For the past week or so, I've only just been managing to write chapters before they need to be put up which is actually incredibly stressful. Unfortunately, I've also got to revise for my terrifyingly-close GCSEs, but I'll just persuade myself (and my parents) that this is English revision. Right? _Right_? Anyways... xx

* * *

Adrien had never noticed before just how _small_ Marinette was. It was the first thing that registered as soon as he walked into the ward, but he also noted how cold it was. Maybe it was just him, but a chill definitely went up his spine. He wasn't sure it couldn't just be attributed to seeing the love of his life in this way, though.

She lay in the bed in the centre of the ward, a couple of wires looping out from under the blanket and trailing into various equipment placed around her. The thin white sheet covered the majority of her body, but even so she looked tiny. there was an eggshell-white hospital gown over her, making her face look even paler, and her tiny hands lay atop the blanket, an IV sticking out of the back of one. Her raven hair was loose and fanned out on the pillows under her hair, her face peaceful but as white as the sheets she lay on. She was very still, the movements of her chest barely noticeable. The bed seemed huge around her, like she'd shrunk, the snowy expanse threatening to swallow her in it's comparative vastness. Adrien felt his breath catch in his throat, the stillness of her body diminishing her presence. He swallowed, trying to get rid of the prickling feeling in his eyes. He didn't want to cry again, but it looked like he wasn't going to have much of a choice.

"Oh, Marinette," he choked out as he, Nino and Alya stumbled further into the room, the door closing with a soft _whump_ behind them. Three more orange, plastic chairs were arranged around her bedside, so Alya and Nino took the adjacent ones and Adrien took the lone one on her right-hand side.

" _Oh my god._ " Alya whispered, gazing at Marinette's unconscious face with tears pooling in her eyes. Adrien's throat tightened as he tried to keep the sobs at bay, but Nino's sniffing nearly sent him over the edge.

Rubbing at his dampening eyes harshly with a forefinger and thumb, he twisted his mouth into a grimace. His lower lip trembled. This was worse than he could have imagined.

Knowing that she wouldn't open her eyes and he wouldn't be able to lose himself in their luminous, cerulean depths made his heart break. Knowing that her waxen face was only so calm because she was unconscious and unable to feel pain made him want to scream. Knowing that he was the one who'd been careless and reckless enough to put her in this position made him feel like he was dying.

The air was cold on Adrien's bare arms as he leant forward to take a closer look at her face. Alya and Nino were quiet, either caught up in their own private grief, or recognising that he needed silence.

Breathing heavily in an attempt to slow his heartrate and rapidly gathering tears, he roved his eyes over her pale, still lips and shallowly rising chest. Her eyes were closed, but the subtly lilac lids fluttered, and he briefly wondered if she was dreaming. If so, they were unlikely to be pleasant dreams. The light smattering of freckles across her nose seemed to stand out more than usual, stark against the whiteness of her face. Adrien reached out a slightly trembling finger to stroke a stray strand of ebony hair from her forehead, noticing for the first time that tears were rolling down his face.

"She's so _tiny_ ," Alya sobbed suddenly and Adrien jumped.

"I know," he whispered back, his face scrunching up against the encroaching whimpers. "She doesn't look like a superhero. She looks like a girl."

"She _is_ a girl." Nino muttered, wiping his sleeve over his face and even from across the bed, Adrien could see that it came away damp. "Just a teenaged girl. It- it's not fair, she doesn't- doesn't _deserve_ this."

"I know." Adrien repeated miserably, and for the first time, felt the kwamis stirring in his pockets. He opened his jacket to let Tikki and Plagg fly out, the red kwami letting a little cry escape her mouth as she spotted the figure in the bed.

Zooming over immediately, Tikki pressed a tiny hand to the girl's forehead and closed her eyes. She was still for a moment.

"What's she doing?" Adrien didn't know why Alya was whispering, but he replied in just as quiet a tone.

"I think she's reading her emotions. Our kwamis are attuned to us, they can sort of understand our thoughts and stuff…" Adrien trailed off as Tikki raised her head, her face full of relief. She floated down to sit on the pillow by Marinette's head, and started to play with little strands of the girl's hair.

"Uh, Tikki? I- is it good news?" Adrien's voice was full of uncertainty and wariness, not sure what to make of the kwami's reaction. Tikki shrugged.

"Mostly. She's in a lot of pain, and her head's not too happy but she's working hard to come back. She'll be here soon, Chat."

A wave of warmth washed over the teenagers at the faerie's words, and they looked at Marinette expectantly, as if anticipating her opening her eyes right that second.

"Guess we'll have to wait a little longer," mumbled Alya after a moment. Adrien sighed. He didn't like waiting, and the room was making him uneasy. Gently, he reached forwards to take one of Marinette's hands in his and he marvelled at both how cold and how small it was. But it fit perfectly in his.

The three settled back in their chairs, Plagg flying down to sit with Tikki on the bed. For a while, there was a silence, the three friends and two kwamis content to be near their absent companion.

After a few minutes, Adrien spoke, and the disgruntled tone in his voice was enough to make the other four look at him.

"I was right," he announced, his nose wrinkled as he held Mari's hand to his face. "She doesn't smell _anything_ like Marinette." There was a shocked quiet for a moment, before Nino and Plagg burst out into hushed sniggers while Alya and Tikki simply raised their eyebrows amusedly. Adrien looked confused. "What?"

Alya scoffed at him.

"Come off it, you really know what she usually smells like?"

"Oh, don't get him started." Plagg rolled his eyes and Adrien sent him a glare.

"Yeah," the blond said defiantly, turning to the two who were seated across the bed from him. "Usually, she smells like vanilla, sugar and either strawberry or cherry, depending on which shampoo she used most recently. If it's a Saturday or Tuesday, she smells like bread, because those are the days where her parents prepare the loaves for the bakery." There was another shocked silence, during which Adrien looked back at Mari's sleeping face with sadness crawling across his own. "But now she doesn't smell like any of those things." He said quietly, effectively bringing the mood down. "She smells like hospital and chemicals and smoke. She doesn't smell like Marinette."

"Well, she _is_ Marinette." Alya told him softly.

Adrien nodded, fighting the pressure behind his eyes that threatened to push tears out again.

"I know. It- it's just hard. Knowing she might never smell like Marinette again. Knowing she might never call me 'k- kitty' again. And… knowing she still m- might never leave this hospital room."

Adrien bowed his head, both of his hands now clutching at Marinette's like it was a lifeline, like he could tie her to him and the world. There was a lump in his throat that he couldn't seem to swallow, and he could feel his friends' gazes on the back of his head. He didn't care.

Marinette had to live, she _had_ to. He couldn't let her die, but knowing she might was killing him. Adrien couldn't bear the fact that he hadn't talked to her in nearly twenty-four hours, and he couldn't bear the fact that he might never talk to her again. He especially couldn't bear the fact that it was all his fault.

"She will." Said a strong voice, Tikki's insistence making him look up but not let go of Mari's hand. "She will do all of those things- and more, Chat Noir. She's _so_ strong, and she loves you all so, so much that there's no way she's going to let herself leave you. It's like I said- you just have to believe in her."

A tear rolled down Adrien's face as he gazed at the kwami, hardly daring to let hope bubble in his chest- but so, _so_ wanting to. He nodded, slowly at first, but then with more fervour as he squared his shoulders.

"I do. I do believe in her. All of Paris does, I'm not going to be the exception."

He looked across the bed to where Alya and Nino were sitting with tears in their own eyes, and realised how selfish he was being. He wasn't the only one mourning Mari, but he was the only one being so weak about it. They'd spent far too much time comforting him, and he had to be stronger. Stronger like Marinette.

"I believe in her." He repeated softly, and Alya smiled gently.

"Me too."

"Me three." Added Nino. "She'll wake up, of course she will."

There was another hush as a united hush spread between them, the swelling optimism warming the coldness of the room. The tears in Adrien's eyes didn't go away, but they didn't fall, as for the first time, he _really_ believed that she was going to live, that she wasn't going to allow herself to leave him.

"Before she does wake up, though," Nino chimed in after a moment, "can we draw a moustache on her face?"


	29. Chapter 29

I AM SO SO SORRY FOR MAKING YOU GUYS WAIT SO LONG! Our internet went down for _three days_! It was basically the hardest 72 hours of my life, I could only access the internet on my phone and I can't upload from my phone! I'm so sorry, but now you guys get three chapters in as many hours. I'm going to upload them at slight intervals to let you catch up (and also so I can double-check them) but you'll have them all in a couple of hours and then we'll be back on schedule xx

* * *

Half an hour passed far too quickly. Once he'd gotten comfortable in his hard, orange, plastic chair, time seemed to fly by for Adrien, as he sat among friends and held his loved one's hand. It seemed like only a few moments later when the redheaded nurse poked her head round the doors with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, guys, but your time's up. You can come visit her tomorrow, okay?"

There were disappointed sighs, but the teenagers began getting up, the kwamis flying back into Adrien's pocket discreetly once the nurse's back was turned. He tightened his grip on Mari's hand for a moment, silently promising to see her soon, then walked towards the door.

The nurse gave them a sympathetic look, they were obviously reluctant to leave, but she had a job to do. She then began leading the way to the front of the hospital, striking up a light, casual conversation with Alya and Nino as she went. But Adrien lingered, half in the ward and half in the adjacent corridor, keeping his eyes on the tiny figure lying amongst the white sheets, suddenly scared to leave. He didn't want to take his gaze away from her, scared that if he did she'd fade away. He didn't want to leave her, not while she was still so vulnerable. What if she… _worsened_ while he was away? Or what if she woke up all alone? Worst, what if she died while he was gone, what if she died all alone?

"Come back tonight." A little voice whispered from inside his jacket, Tikki's head just barely visible.

"You know I can't, she's not allowed any more visitors today." Adrien frowned unhappily.

"Not as Adrien," Tikki hinted.

Oh. Adrien tilted his head thoughtfully. He'd be much more stealthy as Chat Noir, and he doubted any hospital staff that managed to catch him in there would be so willing _\- or able_ \- to make him leave if he was in superhero form. He nodded, the plan warming him up from the inside as he realised how much time he would be able to spend with Marinette. He could talk to her, make sure she knew she wasn't alone, he could watch over her all night.

"Okay, Tikki." He muttered, keeping his voice down so any encroaching hospital staff wouldn't hear him talking. Adrien looked back at Marinette, his heart swelling in hope and love. "I'll see you tonight, Mari." He swore, and turned to go before the redheaded nurse came back to look for him.

The door had just swung shut behind him when the figure in the bed let out a little sigh, her torso lifting slightly with the weight of it. Eyelids flickered slightly, a moan emitting from the just-open mouth. Hands moved, fingers twitching as they searched for the contact they didn't know they'd been aware of.

"Chat…" the murmur went unheard as the darkness enveloped her again, her search proving fruitless. Her hands fell back to the mattress, unsatisfied as unconsciousness pressed in once more. " _Adrien_ …"

oOo

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?"

Adrien flinched, his previous relatively-good mood dissipating in the wake of his father's anger.

"It was one night, Father. And I was just being a good friend." He muttered, his eyes downcast as he stood stiffly in his father's office, the older man standing robotically by the window.

"I don't care. You are not allowed to spend nights away from home, you're perfectly aware of this. You're lucky Nathalie persuaded me to let you stay, otherwise your driver would have turned up at every hospital in Paris looking for you. She convinced me to let you have this one night, as it wouldn't be good for either of our reputations if word got out that I was looking for you in all the hospitals. But she agreed that I should punish you as I see fit as soon as you got home. And that is what I will do."

"But, Father-" Adrien cried, angered and scared by his father's tone. He wasn't a child, and Mari had needed him, how could he have been expected to come home? He was glad he'd turned his phone off after calling Nathalie to let her know where he was, as he'd known that he'd receive a myriad of calls demanding he come home. It would be easier to deal with them once the visit was over.

"No, Adrien. You are my son, you live under my roof and you with live by my rules!" His father ordered, a rare show of emotion crossing his face as he angered. "As a consequence for both your insubordination and disobeying your normal rules, you are grounded for the next fortnight. Other than school and your modelling contracts, you are confined to the house. And if you choose to either argue with me on this or disobey me again," the man added, seeing Adrien's mouth opening in horrified protest, "I will re-think my stipulations so that they do not involve school. I will re-schedule your home tutoring sessions, and I may even un-enrol you _permanently_ from the College Francois-Dupont. Am I understood?"

Adrien breathed heavily, struggling to contain his anger and fury at how unfair it all was. He worked to maintain a conversational tone, knowing that if he yelled he'd only make it worse for himself.

"And what about Marinette?" He asked in a slightly strained voice.

Gabriel frowned, exasperated and thoroughly tired of the whole affair.

"Who?"

Swallowing his annoyance at his father's lack of listening skills, Adrien choked out a response.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The girl I was visiting. In the- the hospital."

If Gabriel noticed how Adrien's voice cracked slightly when he spoke, his face didn't betray it, his expression remaining stoic and cold.

"Ah. Well, you are obviously not exempt from your grounding in order to visit her. You are not to go to the hospital, is that understood? And I suggest that, upon her hypothetical recovery, that you keep your interactions with the girl to a minimum. Clearly, she is not a good influence upon you if your insubordination today is anything to go by. If I hear of you having too much to do with her, I may have to do something about it. Understood?"

A gasp ripped itself out of Adrien's mouth, indignation, horror and fury bubbling within him. But when Gabriel raised an eyebrow, he somehow managed to push all his negativity down deep enough to splutter out an enraged "Understood."

With a careless wave of his hand, Gabriel dismissed his son and turned back to his paperwork, choosing to ignore the tears he very much saw pooling in the boy's eyes.

oOo

Adrien had never slammed a door so hard in his life. The wood shook in it's frame as he contained himself in his bedroom, knowing that his father's office was far enough away in the huge mansion that his anger would go unnoticed.

Hot tears of indignation spurted down his cheeks, a pressure behind his eyes growing at how unfair everything was.

"Adrien?" Plagg's voice was unusually soft as he and Tikki moved upwards to look the boy in the eyes. Adrien rested his forehead on his bedroom door, trying to shut out the pain and pull himself together. "Look, it's alright..."

Adrien choked out a laugh, the sound derisive and harsh in the quiet of his room.

"Nothing is ' _alright_ ' about this, Plagg. Everything is very much _wrong._ Marinette's unconscious in hospital after taking a bullet for me. She still might _die_ , Plagg, and now because I stayed with her like a _good_ , _normal_ human, my father's punishing me because I spent a single night trying to be a good friend. I'm practically under house arrest, and if I put another toe out of line I'm probably never going to see her again."

Everything suddenly came crashing down on the boy, and his knees buckled. He twisted as he crumpled so he was sat with his back against the door as he dissolved into sobs. He knew he was being dramatic, but at this point he couldn't find it within himself to give too much of a damn.

Plagg looked uncomfortable with the tears, so Tikki took over.

"Adrien, you know Marinette's going to live. I can't believe how often I've told you that you just need to _believe_ in her. Don't you think it's getting a bit repetitive?" She said gently, looking him in the eye as he blearily raised his head. He smiled weakly.

"I do, I do. I know she'll be okay, I'm just scared, and everything's piling up. But… Father's just so… not _human_ , it's like he can't understand compassion or friendship or even how to be a good, proper father. It's so unfair." Adrien scrubbed roughly at his face with a damp sleeve, shaking his head incredulously at his father's ridiculousness.

"It'll be okay," Plagg chimed in, flying up to be next to Tikki and at eye-level with the boy. "It's only a two-week grounding, you can be a model son for that long, right?"

"I guess so," Adrien sighed, his face cooling and his heart-rate slowing. "I'll just have to be extra-perfect for about a month, and after that he'll forget all about it. He's never cared about any one thing longer than that."

"Exactly." Tikki's voice was reassuring. "After two weeks you're free to go where you please, and everything will be back to normal. You can still see Mari at school and of course there's the times when you're Chat and Ladybug. And if, after a month, he does forget about this, you'll be able to spend as much time with her as you want."

"But I can't see her now," the blond mumbled, his gaze unfocused. "I know I can still go see her as Chat as long as I do it at night and remember to lock my bedroom door, but I can't go as Adrien."

"Why's that bad?" Plagg's voice, on the other hand, was confused and somewhat less comforting.

"Because then it'll look like I'm not visiting, and I'll look like a massive jerk. Mari will wonder why I didn't come, and-"

"Adrien, she knows you're Chat." Plagg cut him off exasperatedly and Adrien froze.

He had managed to somehow forget about that. He'd spent a miraculously small amount of time worrying about her response to his reveal, so little in fact that he'd forgotten she knew. The reveal was seemingly insignificant among everything else that had happened, but it and what had followed certainly seemed momentous now.

"Sh- she does, doesn't she?" He whispered after a moment, a smile starting to creep across his face. The kwamis exchanged exasperated looks, but wiped them off their faces innocently as Adrien looked up at them. "She… she said she loved me. Didn't she? In the- in the alleyway, she said she loved Chat and she said she loved Adrien. Then she promised she wasn't going to leave, she was going to stay. She… _loves_ me."

Tikki smiled gently at the genuine happiness that spread over the poor boy's face.

"She does. And she won't leave. She'll keep her word."

Suddenly the weight fell off Adrien's shoulders and he felt remarkably at peace. Marinette loved him, she wasn't going to leave him… he trusted her enough to believe that.

"I know she will." In the absence of his anxiety and loneliness, he finally felt the fatigue he'd been battling all night set in, and his body grew heavy and drowsy. Recognising the signs, Plagg flew over to help the boy up and over to his bed.

"Come on, come on," he sighed as the boy stumbled over to the bed, the tiredness growing remarkably fast. It had been a very long day, with an emotional rollercoaster to boot. "Take a nice long nap and we'll wake you up later in time for some food. Then we'll transform and go back to the hospital, alright? But go to sleep."

"Mmmhmm." Adrien sighed as he flopped face-first down on top of the duvet, still fully clothed. "She loves me…" He didn't even bother to fight to keep his eyes open, merely snuggling deeper into the comforting blankets and warmth, a bleary smile still plastered onto his face.

"Sweet dreams," Tikki cooed as his eyes drooped closed and slight snores filled the room, all his anger and fear forgotten as he fell deeper and deeper into his much-needed slumber.


	30. Chapter 30

FLUFFITY FLUFF FLUFF FLUFFLE.

* * *

Chat's breath misted in a pale little cloud on the window in front of him as he gazed into Marinette's ward. The moon hung in a lonely white halo, it being the only light in the sky powerful to peek through the thin cloud cover. Chat's hands were starting to cramp, the cat himself hanging off a tiny crevice in the hospital's outside wall while he waited for the sweet redheaded nurse to finish her checks on Mari.

"Alright, sweetheart, you're looking good so I'll see you later." The nurse said softly, stroking a strand of hair away from Marinette's face. "Maybe tomorrow you'll wake up, yeah? I know a lot of people will be very happy once you open those beautiful eyes again. But tonight you need to rest and get your strength up, ready to jump right back into your life. So I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette."

The nurse shuffled softly over to the door and gave the sleeping girl a sad smile. She'd always hated seeing the broken expressions on peoples' faces when their loved ones were _so close_ but still out of reach. And she hadn't missed the desolation on the three teenaged visitors' faces earlier, and she knew that the little dark-haired girl was being sorely missed. Silently praying for her to wake up soon, the nurse flipped the switch on the wall and let the night-light wink out, then moved away to go check on her other patients before her shift ended.

Chat came out of his hiding place, a warm feeling spreading though his chest at the sight of the nurse's fondness and caring. It was people like her that made his superhero-ing worth doing. Once sure she was gone, he heaved himself fully onto the windowsill and used a claw to crack open the window. He slipped underneath the gap he'd made and shut it softly behind him, once he'd fallen silently to the floor beneath.

The room was mostly dark, illuminated only by the electronic glow of the hospital machines, the streetlamps outside and the dim light from the adjacent corridor, but Chat could see fine. His night-vision led him over to the bed where three chairs were still arranged around the bedside. He padded over to the bed and allowed himself a moment to take in Mari's appearance.

She still seemed at peace, her face frown-less and calm. Her chest rose and fell with soft breaths and her hands still lay on top of the thin sheet that covered her. Her raven hair was slightly damp and he assumed she'd been bathed and taken care of recently. She smelled better than she had earlier, the last lingering scent of the fire replaced by something fruity- watermelon? Chat guessed it was the shampoo, and it was an improvement. She smelled a little more like Marinette, but it was still all wrong.

Chat let out a sigh as he stroked the side of Mari's face with a gentle finger.

"Hey, Mari." He said softly, lowering himself slowly to sit in one of the orange chairs around her bedside. He kept his back to the window so he'd immediately be able to see if anyone came in and caught up one of her small hands in his. "It's me, it's Chat. O- or Adrien. Whichever you want. I don't mind." Chat gave a small smile, glad for the freedom of speech he hadn't had in front of Alya and Nino earlier. "I'm not supposed to be here, I guess you know that. For starters, it's night-time and the hospital staff probably wouldn't be too pleased to find a strange male in an unconscious girl's ward, all alone with her… for that matter, neither would your parents." Chat grimaced, then went back to playing gently with her fingers. He rambled, knowing she could hear him and hoping his voice would soothe her and/ or help wake her up. "Plus, I'm kinda very much grounded. My dad wasn't best pleased that I stayed out all night in some hospital and he kinda flipped- as much as he _can_ flip, anyways. He's such a robot, even when he's acting mad and saying things you'd expect to sound angry it's like he's just saying them out of habit. The words just come out, he doesn't care… But anyway, I'm 100 percent grounded for the next two weeks and I am _expressly_ forbidden from visiting you. You're a bad influence, apparently. He thinks you're leading me astray… well, I am sneaking out of the house at night just to see you, so I guess you are. Not like it's anything new, though. I've been sneaking out to see you at night for _years,_ not that we knew it.

"I know I've said it a lot, but I'm really glad you're _you_ , Marinette. That _you're_ Ladybug. I don't know why I'm saying it again, maybe it'll be different now you know you're hearing it from Adrien. So… yeah. Um, speaking of that, we didn't exactly get much chance to discuss this before, you were a little busy… d-dying," his voice cracked, "but I feel I owe you an explanation. I know you can't really say anything back, but I reckon it's the best chance I've got to get everything off my chest, or whatever.

"So, here we go. I, ah, I'm Adrien Agreste. You're probably wondering why I didn't tell you earlier, you're probably confused as to why I'd said I couldn't, but… I guess I was just confused a- and scared. I don't really know why. I hate it, but I don't. But I knew you loved me as Chat, and that was the _best_ thing in the world. That night you told me you did was one of the best nights of my life, it was like fireworks were erupting left, right, and centre. It was amazing. The girl I loved loved me back, and even better, it turns out she was also the other girl I'd seemed to find myself falling for, too. If that makes sense… but anyway, now I had the chance to tell you. I had no reason not to, I knew you wanted to know, but suddenly I couldn't. Part of the reason is one I know you're not gonna like hearing, so…" Chat cringed, then steeled himself, grabbing onto her limp hand even tighter. "I knew you liked Adrien. Me. As Adrien. Um, I- I found out the first day you walked out of class, the first day you did stuff for Chloe. I g- guess you remember it, huh? But after I went after you and you said… that stuff, I had a talk with Alya and Nino and we figured out how you were being blackmailed by Chloe, and part of the way we managed to figure that out… was because Alya and Nino realised how upset you must have been to say that stuff to, and I quote here, 'someone you loved'." There was a pause, and Chat entertained himself with images of Mari opening her eyes and blushing furiously in that endearingly adorable way she had at the thought of her crush knowing her feelings. But when she didn't open her eyes, Chat swallowed his disappointment and ploughed on.

"This was before I knew you were Ladybug, obviously, so, uh, fast-forward a couple of months to where I found out that little titbit, and also to where I found out you loved me as Chat. Why didn't I reveal myself then? Because I thought… well, I thought you wouldn't love me anymore. Or, I thought you wouldn't be able to love me as Adrien _and_ Chat. I don't know, I- I thought I was too different as Chat. I thought maybe you wouldn't be able to love me as both sides of me. I figured that I was too different for you to, like... come to terms with it and make your feelings for both sides of me apply to the other. I thought your love for Adrien couldn't live alongside your love for Chat, I feared they were two very different 'loves'. It sort of escalated from there, I guess. I was worried that you would be angry, I was worried I wasn't right for you, I was doubtful in my ability to make you love me. I let my own insecurities and selfishness prevent me from revealing myself to you, and I made you feel guilty for liking Adrien _and_ Chat, I made you worried that I didn't love you, I made you paranoid that you weren't the only girl in my life… and I stopped us from being able to enjoy so much more time together. I'm so sorry, Marinette." He paused, catching his breath. As he'd spoken, the words had begun to flow faster and faster as he let all his emotions out, and now he forced himself to calm. There were other things he had to say.

"I know you're going to wake up. I've been telling myself so for the last… however long I've needed to. The thing is, I still know there's a chance you won't. No matter how hard I believe in you, no matter how often I tell myself that you're the strongest person you know, there's still a chance that y- you won't be strong e- enough." Chat's voice started to shake, his throat closing up as he stared at her sleeping face, the words almost uncontrollably falling from his mouth. He needed to say them, he needed her to know how he felt. "So I have to tell you, Marinette. I have to tell you how I feel... I love you _so_ much. I love you more than anything in the world and it kills me to know you're in pain, you're in danger. You're everything to me, Marinette, and you're so important to everyone else too. Not Ladybug, but Marinette. You're so important to so many people, Mari, and so many peoples' lives are better with you in them. Your parents, Alya, Nino, Juleka, Rose, Kim, Nathanael, Max, Mylene, Ivan, they all love you. There are so many more people I could name, so many more people who need you to stay. Paris couldn't survive without Ladybug, either. An entire ciyt loves you and needs you to wake up. _I_ need you to. So on their behalf as well as mine, I- I'm begging you. Stay. Please. For me, for- for everyone. Stay." Chat's eyes closed as the rush of emotion pulsed through him. His shoulders shook and he leaned downwards, pressing her hand to his lips as a tear dripped down his cheek.

At first, he thought he was imagining it. At first, he thought he was dreaming the slight pressure on his hand that replied to the squeeze he was giving hers. But then it happened again, and he pulled back, a gasp ripping sharply out of his mouth as he stared at the pale hand encased in his. The fingers were definitely twitching.

And then, a voice.

The most beautiful voice in the world.

Saying the most beautiful words he'd ever heard.

"Well, at least now I know you're _definitely_ not married."


	31. Chapter 31

Finally, I'm back on track! I was editing and proof-reading like a madwoman to get this finished and up today and now I can relax a little. This does switch between the two viewpoints so it might be a little confusing, but it's cute AF though. And it is probably my favourite chapter out of all thirty-one of them so far... so enjoy! xx

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"I- but- you- _Marinette!"_ Chat spluttered as his gaze flew to the girl's face. A small, tired smile was plastered on it, and Chat felt his heart skip a beat at the beauty of it. Before he could stop himself, he was lurching forwards to envelop her in his arms, the tears beginning to flow once more. "M- Mari, you're awake, y-you're here, oh my g- god, you're h-here…" Chat's voice broke as he nestled his face into her shoulder, his arms probably too tight around her, but he didn't care.

He could feel her shaking under his grip, but couldn't tell if she was crying or laughing. It turned out to be both, as he saw the tears running down her face and heard the chuckles escaping her lips when he pulled back to look at her.

"I'm here, kitty. I promised, didn't I? I promised to stay." Marinette smiled as one of his hands reached out to cup her face. His other hand gripped one of hers to his heaving chest.

She sniffled as she saw the expression on his face, all his joy and hope and relief and _love_ displayed there for all to see. Another smile tugged at the corners of her lips even as she tried to keep the tears at bay.

"I'm here." She whispered, reaching her other hand out to place it over the one of his that cupped her cheeks. She stroked it gently with her thumb as Chat sobbed slightly.

"Oh my god, _oh my god_ , _Marinette._ " His legs buckled and he crumpled back into the chair he'd jumped up from in order to hug her. He didn't let go of Mari's hand, but took his other one from her face to clasp it even more tightly between the two. "Thank god, oh thank god, you're here, you're alive…"

"I am, I am, I'm not leaving you, kitty." Marinette's voice broke slightly as she wept in happiness, her emotions also nearly too much to bear. For a moment, there was silence as the two tried to get their feelings under control, at least enough to hold a proper conversation. Sort of.

"I- you, uh- I mean, um… are you okay?" Chat murmured, his eyes roving over the girl's pale face, his heart fluttering at the love he saw there. She let out a breathy chuckle.

"Been better," she admitted, wincing slightly as the pain began to flow through her. As her emotions ebbed and reality grew less fuzzy around her, the discomfort unfortunately grew more prominent.

"Are you in pain?" Chat's hands fluttered over her, wanting to hold her but not knowing where it would hurt.

"It's not bad, kitty, I'm okay," Mari told him reassuringly, weakly reaching out to comfort him with contact. She could see he didn't believe her, but he let her hand guide his back down.

"I can't believe you're awake." Chat sighed after a moment, a smile crossing his face as he gazed at her.

"How long was I out?" The rasp in her voice told her it had been a while, but she wasn't sure exactly how long.

"Um, it's very early Sunday morning," Chat told her nervously, watching her mentally count backwards.

"Oh _Jeeze!"_ Marinette moaned, resting her head backwards on her pillows. "The explosion and the shot and all that stuff was on Friday, right? Soo... _two days_? Oh, my parents must be _flipping_ _out_ right now."

Chat squeezed her hand comfortingly, anxious to reassure her.

"They're… handling it." He said cautiously, slipping his fingers between hers. "They were here yesterday as soon as the nurses said you could have visitors. They were here for about half an hour, then Alya, Nino and I came to see you."

Marinette tensed slightly and raised her head to make eye contact with him again. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, not sure what had sparked the change in atmosphere.

There was a pause, then;

" _Adrien_."

 _Oh._

The single word told him everything he needed to know, and he waited cautiously for a follow up, not missing the way her eyes roamed his face and the stiffness of her hand in his.

"Y- you're Adrien." Marinette whispered, her face unreadable. She remembered seeing him de-transform in front of her as she lay in the alleyway, but she hadn't had a chance to really process. She remembered telling him she loved him, but she hadn't had a chance to really think about who she was saying it to.

"I am." Swallowing nervously, Chat was almost afraid to meet her eyes. He had no idea what he might see there.

There was a silence.

"Oh, thank _god_!"

Chat was startled when suddenly he had an armful of Marinette as she lurched forwards to yank him into a tight embrace. She ignored the pain that screamed at her from her side, needing too much to hold him, to wipe the nervousness and fear from his face.

Bemused, Chat buried his face in her hair and gripped her to him.

"That's a good thing, I take it?" He murmured. He felt her nod into his chest and laughed quietly. Mari pulled back a moment later to gaze intently into his eyes, hers filling with tears once more.

"The best." She told him, her voice thick. She nodded as she spoke, as if confirming her own words to herself. "The very best. A- Adrien, you're… Chat Noir, you're _Adrien_."

He gently pushed her backwards to lean on her pillows, knowing that sitting up wouldn't be good for her injury. But he kept her hand in his.

"I am."

It sounded weak, and he didn't know what to say next and he couldn't leave it like this and now he was panicking and his brain seemed to click onto auto-pilot.

"Yep, uh... so, ta-da…?"

There was a pause.

A pause during which Chat felt the mortification crawl slowly up his body. His face turned scarlet and he fought the urge to jump out of the window. _What the hell had he just said?!_

Marinette's face seemed to be frozen in a mask of shock and incredulity at his words, and Chat made an odd choking sound as he tried to redeem himself.

"Uh- so, I- wait, no- you, uh…" He covered his face with a trembling hand and tried not to melt into a puddle of embarrassment. What was happening to him?

There was a strange sound coming from Marinette, and he looked up to see her stuck between trying not to laugh and laughing really, _really_ hard. Her hand reached out to cover her mouth as she tried to keep the snorts and belly-laughs to a minimum, and the effort of trying to keep quiet made it seem like she was choking.

If possible, Chat felt his face grow even hotter.

"Shut up!" He whispered furiously, but with a humiliated smile at how cute she looked. "It's not like you never said anything dumb around me, so stop- _stop snorting_!"

"I'm – I'm sorry," Mari choked out, not looking sorry in the least. "B-but 'ta-da'? Really? Oh my _god_ , Chat, what happened to you?"

Chat folded his arms and tried to look calm and collected. It wasn't easy, considering how much he still wanted to curl up and die, as Marinette dissolved into quiet hysterics again.

"I'm sorry, Miss _'I really jacket your's cool_.'" He said mock-coolly. Marinette's mouth popped open in horror, the laughs stopping abruptly, but Chat continued mercilessly. "Or, was it more like ' _Urgh I mean, uhm- y-y-y-you, look goo- gah, bye_!'? Oh, and what was it you said to me the week before Christmas?" He tapped his chin with a finger thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. ' _Merry Adrien- no, wait, Christmas Happy, no hold on, M-merry Christmas Adrien, have a good Adrien- no wait- I'm really good hope you have a Christmas, Adrien- oh my god, okay bye!_ '"

Marinette pressed a shaking hand to her mouth, aghast, and Chat gave her a triumphant look.

"So don't laugh at me just because I said 'Ta-da' okay?" He murmured, leaning into her with narrowed eyes and a sly smirk on his face.

"B- but- I was n-ner- you're Chat- I- I can't - but - oh _crap_ , Adrien!" Marinette let out a despairing wail and buried her face in her hands, trying to hide the vermillion that spread over her face.

Chat let out a laugh and tried to tug her hands away from her face so he could look at how red she was.

"Mari- hey, come on, I was just teasing!" He sighed when she didn't budge.

" _Oh my god_."

"Hey, I always thought it was cute." He said, his breath fanning over what little of her face was exposed. She peeked through her fingers to look up at him.

"R- really?"

"Yeah. It was adorable."

"B- but… oh god it was so embarrassing! I couldn't even speak to you properly. I f- fell over all the time, I stammered and spluttered and made a _complete_ fool of myself!"

"It's not like I was any better around Ladybug," Chat reasoned, finally succeeding in pulling her hands away from her face and holding them tightly. He looked sincerely into her eyes, fighting the irrationally large urge to kiss her.

"Yeah, well… at least you could talk properly." Marinette fidgeted. "At least your flirting was actual _flirting_. Your way of talking to the person you liked was much more sane."

Chat smiled, kissing her knuckles.

"It's not like it worked very well, though, is it? It took me finding out who you were and saving you from Chloe's tyranny for us to finally get anywhere. You were very efficient at shutting me down."

Marinette looked guilty.

"Th- that was only because I liked Adrien so much," she confessed. "If I hadn't, I'd have almost certainly given in much earlier. That was really the only major thing keeping me from accepting the fact that I kinda liked you, too."

" _What_?" Chat yelped, his voice very loud in the near-silence of the hospital room. He fought to keep it down though, as he continued. "You always liked me? You- but- oh my god! I always figured that maybe there was another guy in your civilian life, but my own competition was _me_? _Oh my god_ …"

Marinette giggled weakly, her hands tightening around his.

"We're such idiots." She sighed fondly, and Chat looked at her, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh my god, we are."

Mari giggled, then sighed again. The mood calmed, but somehow got even more intense. The room was dark and quiet, their voices more subdued but passionate.

"We've wasted so much time, haven't we?"

"We have," murmured Chat, moving closer. The air between the two suddenly seemed to heat up, their gazes locked intently on the other's face. "And I don't want to waste a second more."

"Me neither." Marinette breathed, and that was all it took for Chat to finally close the gap between them and press his lips to hers.


	32. Chapter 32

I HATE MY WI-FI. I can't believe it did it again, but it cut out yesterday, so here we are with a double update. Again, I am SOOOOO sorry! But the other one will be up in a couple of hours xx

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The darkness of the hospital ward was suddenly permeated by fireworks. The coldness of the night was driven away by the warmth of the girl in his arms, the wrongness of her scent negligible against the familiar sweetness of her lips.

Chat pressed into her again, putting his hands on her cheeks to tilt her head upwards. He heard Mari gasp slightly against his mouth and made a little purr in response. He felt her snake her hands upwards to tangle into his hair and keep him against her and he purred again, stronger. He used his mouth to press hers open and she willingly allowed him to deepen the kiss, twisting her hands in his hair and pulling slightly. This elicited a sigh from him and he barely managed to keep from moaning her name.

Chat's head began to swim and he pulled away, hearing Marinette gasping as she tried to catch her own breath. He chuckled softly, pecking another kiss onto her lips.

"Well, that's a start." He murmured a little breathlessly. Marinette's eyes were huge, her pupils blown wide. Her cheeks were flushed rose and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. She nodded a little frantically, seemingly speechless. At her stunned silence, Chat laughed again and stroked her hair out of her face. Knowing he needed to keep himself contained and calm, he retreated back to his plastic chair, maintaining their contact by holding her hand in his while she slowed her breathing.

"G- good, that's a good- good start." Mari's voice was high-pitched and breathy when she finally spoke. Chat smiled, squeezing her hand in his gloved paw. She shook her head slightly, calming herself, and when she spoke again it was much more hushed and normal. "Yeah. So, good job. Right."

"That good, huh?" Chat's smirk was audible in his voice, even if the room was slightly too dark for her to see it.

"Maybe."

Chat laughed again, then froze abruptly when he heard footsteps in the corridor outside. Marinette stiffened too, and watched the door anxiously as the footsteps neared. She cast a panicked glance at him, then around the room as she tried to spy somewhere for him to hide. Thankfully, the footsteps only hesitated outside the door to Marinette's ward, then moved on.

The two teens let out a collective sigh of relief and when Chat laughed again, it was much softer and subdued.

"As good as it was, I think we should keep it to a minimum." Marinette suggested with a whispered tone.

"That's probably a good idea," he agreed in a murmur. They simply smiled at each other for a few seconds more, before Marinette frowned as a hazy memory dredged itself to the forefront of her mind.

"Kitty?"

"Yes, Marinette?"

"When you were here- before I woke up, you were talking to me, weren't you?"

"Yes…" Chat regarded her confusedly and slightly warily. Where was she going with this?

"Well… I heard you."

 _That didn't help._

"Oh… kay?" Chat was extremely confused. "Marinette, where are you going with this?"

Marinette let out a slightly huffed laugh at his impatience and squeezed his hand.

"You were talking about the reveal, and why you didn't do it before."

 _Oh._

"Oh… that." She could hear him cringing and could sense the tension, so she rushed to finish.

"Kitty, I love you." Mari said simply, and tried not to smile at how attentive he immediately became. "I've loved you for years as Adrien, and to be honest, for longer than I'd care to admit as Chat. It's honestly the best thing I could have imagined, to have the two people I loved most in the world be the same person. Now I don't have to feel guilty for loving you both, now I can finally love you with all entirety, not holding anything back because I was saving it for the other one. It was exhausting, feeling awful for constantly asking myself who I'd choose if I had the chance, asking myself who I loved more. Kitty, you're the only person I ever hoped you'd turn out to be. If you didn't reveal yourself to me because you thought I wanted to keep the two of you separate, then you're an idiot."

"Thanks for sugar-coating it." He mumbled and she giggled.

"Truly, Adrien, I'm so happy it's you. Now I don't have to hold anything back, I can just focus on loving you."

"I feel the same," he replied, though there was one question darting around the inside of his head. He wasn't sure he wanted the answer, he wasn't even sure what he wanted the answer to be. There was a very distinct voice in his head telling him not to ask it, but he decided to go all masochistic on himself and ask anyway. "Did- did you ever get an answer? T- to the question of…"

Marinette frowned, her face unsure.

"What question, Chat?"

His hand was tight around hers and he hated himself for asking.

"Who- who would you choose? If you had the chance?"

She tensed.

"Don't go there, kitty." She used the endearment, but there was a slight warning tone in her voice. "What do you even want me to say?"

Guiltily, Chat looked down and dropped her hand.

"I- I'm sorry, I don't know why I asked, I- sorry, there- I-" he felt his face flushing and cursed himself inwardly. _Why had he done that? What had he been hoping to achieve?_

Suddenly, there was a hand under his chin and his head was raised up so his emerald eyes met sapphire. Marinette was very close to him, kneeling up on the bed, and he knew it couldn't be good for her to be sitting like this.

"It doesn't matter now, Chat- _Adrien_. I don't have to choose, and if I did, I would choose _you_."

He swallowed and struggled to speak. She saw his worry and embarrassment and leaned in to press her lips lightly against his.

"I choose _you_ , kitty. Every time. I'll always choose you." Marinette whispered, her forehead resting against his. Chat felt all his negative feelings wash away with her touch and sighed slightly.

"I choose you, too."

He pulled back to smile at her, and as her headrest (him) suddenly went away, she lurched forwards slightly. A slight cry left her mouth at the position and her hands darted to her side.

"I- _aah_ , oh, Jeeze- _ouch_."

"My god, Marinette!" Chat whisper-shouted and grasped her shoulders. He firmly pushed her down to lean back against the pillows, anxious to get the pained expression off her face. He stayed hovering over her until her breathing slowed, eyeing the area her hands were still pressing down on. "Blimey, you really don't know how to take care of yourself, do you?"

"Says the stupid superhero who repeatedly throws himself into danger." She retorted, but her voice was weak and made Chat gnaw his lip anxiously as he lifted her hands up to check that there wasn't any blood staining her hospital gown.

"It's for a good cause. My lady needs me." He said absentmindedly as he peered nervously at the site of the wound.

"Well, I was comforting my kitten." Mari said softly and Chat, now reassured at the lack of blood, looked up to meet her eyes. He swallowed at the passion and sincerity he saw there. "Seriously, Chat. I love you. Don't torture yourself. You're Adrien and you're Chat, and I love you. Is that enough?"

The room was quiet for a moment, before Chat spoke up in a slightly husky voice.

"Yeah. That's enough."

"Good." She replied simply and leant back entirely against her pillows, catching his hand in hers and dragging him down to perch on the side of the bed next to her. "So."

"So." Chat played with her fingers casually as they thought of something to say. She got there first.

"I heard you got grounded?" She asked after a moment, her voice sympathetic and her eyes sad at his consequent grimace.

"Yeah. Looks like Adrien's going to have to keep his distance and it'll just be Chat showing up for a while. That okay?"

"I think I can live with it. Adrien might have to find a way to make up for his frostiness, though."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah."

Chat _hmph_ -ed, thinking.

"Well there's a new Delacriox exhibit at the Musee-d'Orsay. Maybe he should buy tickets for that for next month, and hope Marinette forgives him enough to go on a date with him…"

" _Really_?" He could hear the excitement in her voice at the word 'date'.

"If she wants to." He replied slightly shyly and had to lean into her hug so she wouldn't hurt herself sitting up too far again.

"I'd love to." Her voice was muffled but he could feel her smiling into his shoulder.

He smiled at her when she pulled back and stroked the hair out of her face.

"Great. My grounding will be over by then, so you'd better promise to be all nice and healed, okay?"

She chuckled, then agreed and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

The two spent the next few hours lying side by side on Marinette's bed, just talking. Chat was careful to give her enough space, at first half- falling off the bed in his desperation not to hurt her. He quickly realised that this was the cause of the muffled giggles she was trying to hide, and relaxed, moving closer and letting her snuggle into him. Neither of them had any idea what they were going to say if a nurse or doctor walked in and found them lying like this, but Chat was confident he could sweet-talk his way out of it if it was a female. Marinette did ask what he'd say if it was a guy, but he swiftly steered the conversation elsewhere.

They touched on a plethora of topics, getting to know each other better than they ever had before.

Favourite colours? Light blue for him (she already knew that) and he spent about five minutes guessing before she took pity on him and told him it was sea-green.

Favourite seasons? His was fall (which she also knew) but he guessed correctly that she was a spring kind of girl. Her ladybug tendencies included a strong aversion to the cold, so winter in Paris wasn't something she really tended to enjoy anymore- unless she had about five layers on.

He was also a savoury kind of guy (again, she knew) whereas Mari leaned towards sweet.

They both agreed that fantasy and sci-fi was best, with horror and tragedy way down at the bottom of their genre-list.

When she guessed first-time that his all-time favourite book series ever was ' _La quête d'Ewilan_ ', he was astounded until he saw the blush spreading over her cheeks. He then hounded her for answers for about five minutes before she gave in.

"Alright, _alright_!" She sighed, swatting his prodding fingers away and not making eye contact. "I… I have read every single one of your interviews and watched all your television appearances… _several_ times. You've given out a lot of trivia over the years and I, uh, made a habit of memorising it. To- to make a conversation topic out of it, if it ever came up."

He stared at her and the blush deepened.

"I _knew_ you were cheating!" He crowed triumphantly after a moment and she nearly fell out of the bed. "I knew there was no way you could guess it all so well. Oh, thank _god_! I thought I was the worst boyfriend in the world, you knew me so much better than I knew you, but it turns out that stalking people for three years really pays off on the trivia front, huh?"

Marinette floundered for words, eventually settling on;

"'Boyfriend'?"

Chat blanched and recoiled slightly, but tried to keep his cool. It didn't work- his voice came out squeaky and nervous and he felt her shaking with surpressed laughter.

"Well, yeah. I- if you want." He squawked.

"That's cool with me." Mari replied casually, but he could only imagine how much she would be screaming to Alya about this at some point.

"Cool."

And that was it. They just carried on chatting, their hands entwined between them on top of the sheet, until the peach-coloured light of dawn began streaking in watercolour dashes over the ceiling.

Chat sighed and willed his stiff bones to move. Thanks to his lack of Cataclysm-usage, he'd stayed in transformation all night, but _boy_ was Plagg going to be cranky.

"You going?" Marinette mumbled blearily, having just been dropping off.

"Yeah. I think it's best that I keep up the pretense of accepting my grounding for at least the first twenty-four hours, don't you? I'll be back tonight, though."

"You'd better be." She sighed and squinted at him drowsily. "I'm going to need something to look forwards. Once the staff know I'm awake, I'm going to have to endure a whole day of 'where does it hurt' and 'look at the light', not to mention the ultimatums from my parents. And _oh my god_ , Alya and Nino. _Craaap_."

Chat sucked in a breath, suddenly very aware that today was Monday.

"I have to see them at school in about four hours." He sighed and Marinette cackled quietly. "Oh, shush. You still have to talk to your parents, and you can bet Alya and Nino will be here literally the second school ends. Have fun with that. At least at school I've got other people around to make them shut up."

Mari groaned and buried her face under a pillow in horror at the thought of the day to come.

Chat chuckled and pressed a kiss to the bit of forehead she'd left exposed and darted over to the window.

She tossed the pillow off her face and turned to him to watch him leave, smiling when he glanced back at her. The rosy dawn light spread over her face, twinkling in her eyes and pinking her cheeks. She smiled even more brightly as she heard his breath catch in his throat, and he smiled back. Then, with a light kiss blown in her direction, he leapt out of the window.


	33. Chapter 33

I am praying for the WiFi to be fixed now because double updates are just annoying! xx

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"I am so _embarrassed_!" Alya squealed, burying her face in her hands once more. Nino laughed and Marinette smiled sheepishly as she saw the blush spreading down the redhead's neck. "Three- _three years_! So I basically _stalked_ you for three years, trying to find out who you were, and only when you go and get shot do I find out! How can I call myself a reporter after this?"

"Alya, no-one knew." Mari reminded her, again. She fidgeted on her hospital bed, uncomfortably guilty and exasperated. "Literally nobody. You can't blame yourself for not figuring it out, only Chat did, and that was only recently. It was just him."

"And Chloe." Nino chimed in. He then withered under the glares that the two girls gave him. "I, uh, I don't know why I said that. Not helpful. Bad Nino…" he mimed slapping himself on the wrist as a reprimand and Alya scowled deeply at him, then turned back to Marinette.

"He's right, though. _Chloe Bourgeios_ found out before _I_ did. How- that's- _in what universe is that okay?!_ "

"Alya, it wasn't exactly like I revealed myself on purpose!" Marinette rolled her eyes. "And, in case you don't remember, she worked me half to death just so she'd have an incentive to keep it a secret. Believe me, she is not the person I'd have liked to have found out first."

It had been a tiring day for Marinette. As soon as Chat had left, she'd pressed the 'Summon A Nurse' button and a sweet, redheaded nurse had come in with a confusingly big smile on her face. Mari had (as predicted) spent the next few hours under rigorous scrutiny, being tested for all sorts of side-effects and lingering damage. Thankfully, her head was fine, her blood was clean and she seemed to be all well. Other than the gaping hole in her side, that is. But the doctors had seemed fairly confident she'd make a full recovery now she was awake and fully functional. And now the tests were over, cue: hysterical parents.

Tom and Sabine had practically sprinted into the ward following the phone call from the hospital alerting them to the fact Mari was awake. The remainder of the morning had been spent assuring them 'yes, she felt fine', 'yes, she knew how worried they must have been' and 'no, she would never put herself in danger like that again'. The last part had been a tremendous lie, but she really hadn't felt like now was the time to reveal her secret identity to them. More than enough people already knew- for now at any rate. So she'd just sat back and allowed herself to be blanketed in her parents' all-too-loving cocoon.

They'd left about half an hour after school had ended, knowing full well that Alya was going to be taking up a lot of Mari's attention very soon. In fact, no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than it burst open again and Marinette was suddenly smothered with an armful of sobbing redhead. Nino had leapt into the hug too, albeit at a slightly more restrained and placated pace, though with no less love and relief. Eventually, Mari had managed to pry them off her enough to breathe, and give them a sheepish grin. This had sparked the whole 'HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE LADYBUG' conversation, and Alya hadn't spoken in anything less than a muted yell since.

"Okay, okay, fine. I know you didn't tell her on purpose, but _still_!" Alya complained now, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Still _what_? Alya, what do you want me to say?" Marinette groaned, a reluctant smile on her face at how scarlet her friend was and the way Nino was just sitting there laughing.

"I- _don't know_! I- you- La- but- you're Ladybug!"

"Have we not already established that?"

"Shut up Nino!" Alya slapped him on the shoulder and, ignoring his _Ouch!_ , turned back to Marinette. "You're basically my hero! You're _Paris'_ hero! That- that's _so_ cool!"

Marinette laughed, and Alya huffed out a chuckle too.

"Really?"

" _Yeah_! I've been obsessed with you forever, and now I find out that I sit next to you every day? It's so awesome!" Alya froze suddenly, a terrifying glint in her eyes. "Imagine the hits on the Ladyblog!"

Marinette sat up suddenly, horrified.

"Alya-"

"-I can get all sorts of interviews-"

"-you can't- you need- _please_ -"

"God, Marinette, chill! I'm not going to reveal you, _duh_."

Mari froze and was very conscious of Nino's excessive eye-rolls in the background.

"Y- you're not?"

"Of course not! I was all for exposing you before, but now I know that I'm one of the people Hawkmoth would go after once he knew your identity? Not a chance."

Incredulously, Nino and Mari stared at her. She sat there straight-faced for a moment before dissolving into snorts and giggles.

"Your face! Oh, Mari, of course I'm not going to reveal you. You're my best friend and I am _so_ going to support you in this. Nino is too, right? We're not gonna reveal you." She elbowed him and he fumbled for a moment.

"Sure, yeah. I mean, no. We're not going to tell anyone- not about you _or_ Adrien."

"Oh. Good. Thanks, guys." Marinette's cheeks went a light dusty rose, but she smiled gratefully at them. There was a pause, and then with a squeal, Alya leapt up to embrace the girl in the bed, and Nino piled on too.

" _This is sooo cool_!"

"Yep. I agree." Marinette's voice was oddly choked and Nino pulled back to look at her, seeing her wince and frowning.

"Alright, Mari?"

"Uh-huh. Except for the fact that Alya's kind of elbowing me in my little bullet wound thing right now."

"Jeez!" Alya leapt back immediately, her hands flying to her mouth in horror. "I'm so sorry- I didn't mean- are you okay?"

"Fine, fine." Mari grimaced, reaching out to grab Alya's hand and comforting her. "It's alright, don't worry."

"I- you- _aaarrgggh_ …" Alya slumped down in her chair guiltily, but Nino perched on the edge of the bed.

"Does it hurt badly, Mari?" He asked concernedly, and Marinette gave a strained smile.

"It's not exactly fun, but hey! Who needs a spleen anyway?"

Nino laughed.

"I don't listen in Biology so I don't know what you're gonna be missing out on. All I know is getting shot tends to hurt."

"Oh, it's a blast." Mari said dryly and Nino snorted, then covered his mouth with a hand.

"You're so upbeat." He mused and Alya tilted her head questioningly, too. "very upbeat considering you've just woken up in hospital with a bullet wound. Then spent the next few hours getting prodded by nurses and smothered by parents. What's your secret?"

Mari smiled coyly.

"How's Adrien?" She asked innocently and felt her eardrums nearly burst at Alya's squeal.

"He _did_ come! You woke up _while_ he was here?"

"Maybe…"

"Oh dude!" Nino laughed, and Marinette blushed. "I knew it! He wouldn't tell us anything at school. Literally, _zip,_ all day. I had a feeling you'd woken up and… _chatted_ , but he managed to avoid us during break and lunch and we couldn't exactly talk about this during lessons. He was smiling, though, so I figured something good had happened."

"It was sooo irritating." Alya groaned. "The last _we_ knew, you were still unconscious and we were all showing solidarity in our grieving, then he shows up all grinning and smug. It was infuriating, plus he didn't tell us anything other than the fact he'd been grounded and couldn't come see you."

" _Not as Adrien_." Nino quoted and Mari smothered a giggle.

"I can picture the imaginings you two came up with after that."

"Yep. So you're going to tell us everything, _right now_. And not just whatever may or may not have transpired between you and Chat Noir last night, but everything." Alya plopped down on the edge of Marinette's bed.

"Really? How much exactly is _everything_?"

"From the beginning." Nino suggested and Alya nodded her agreement.

"The beginning?" Marinette sighed. "That's a lot of 'everything'. Okay, well it all started one day when I was late for school…"


	34. Chapter 34

I gotta admit, this one doesn't further the plot a huge amount, but I just couldn't resist! xx And enjoy whatever feelings you may get at the end...

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Marinette was never going to complain about having to get out of bed ever again.

 _Two weeks_ she'd spent confined to the tiny space of her hospital bed, and it was driving her mad. There was a TV in her room, her parents brought her books, games and schoolwork, plus there were frequent visits from her friends, but she'd barely moved in a fortnight and she was permanently on the edge of just screaming and jumping out of the window.

She'd never had an issue with bed rest before, but her hospital bed seemed like a smaller and smaller jail cell every day.

It turned out that getting shot took quite a toll on her body (surprise!) so the doctors had decided that even standing up would put unnecessary stress on the injury. Mari was basically carried everywhere- on the way to the bathroom she was lifted into a wheelchair, she had baths rather than showers and she hadn't even gotten to the stage of standing up unsupported yet. Just sitting up still hurt, so she was secretly grateful, but also going insane.

The hospital staff were all kind and intuitive and could sense her frustration, but there was nothing they could do. Nobody wanted to run the risk of straining her injury even further, least of all Marinette, so she complied with the bare minimum of complaining. But everything was just seeming to pile up to contribute to her growing bad mood: she hadn't been Ladybug in weeks and the news was full of speculation and rumour-mongering. Tikki was staying with Adrien as they hadn't wanted to run the risk of someone seeing her while they were asleep and though she visited frequently, Mari missed the little bug. The hospital food was boring and tasteless, and she even found herself missing school after once resorting to reading the same book twice in a day due to her fathomless boredom.

But today was going to be different. Today was the day she'd been counting down towards for the last two weeks; the end of Adrien's grounding. For the first time, he was allowed back out of the house unaccompanied, and though he'd visited every single night as Chat, they'd agreed not to risk him de-transforming and being caught as a civilian, so she hadn't seen Adrien for all that time. But last night he'd promised to be here as soon as visiting hours began, and she was finally going to see him as his civilian counterpart. So Marinette didn't complain as she was wheeled to the restroom and back, didn't whine at the repetitive blandness of the hospital breakfasts and instead waited on tenterhooks for the blond to arrive.

"Excited?" The redheaded nurse asked laughingly as she wheeled the girl back to her room, noticing the way she was bouncing in the chair.

Marinette nodded, trying to contain her childish animation.

"My friend's coming to see me today." She squeaked and the nurse bent down to help her back into bed with a knowing smile.

"Ah. Your _friend_."

Marinette blushed at the wink she was given and ducked her head. Truthfully, she wasn't quite sure why she was so excited- she'd secretly seen the boy every single night she'd been there, but it technically hadn't been _Adrien_. This was the first time she was going to see the blond as himself now she knew who he really was, and she was oddly anxious. But tremendously enthusiastic.

"Uh-huh."

The nurse chuckled and rearranged Mari's pillows so she could sit up comfortably.

"Well, I think today's your lucky day, Mari. A little birdie told me that Doctor Angarius might possibly have some good news for you. He'll be here later to give it to you."

Marinette perked up her ears.

"Good news? What sort of good news?"

"Ah, ah." The nurse smiled and tapped the side of her nose secretively. "Sorry, no spoilers. You'll find out soon enough. But why don't I go and get your hairbrush so you can look all clean and tidy for your _friend_?"

The bluenette sighed disappointedly, then nodded. The nurse left swiftly with a grin, and Mari was left alone.

 _Good news_ … Sounded enticing. She was curious, and a little hopeful, but that was quickly swept from her mind when she heard footsteps in the corridor outside. Familiar footsteps.

He was here.

Straightening abruptly and combing anxiously through her loose, damp hair with her fingers, Mari waited. Moments later, the door was cracked open and a blond head was pushed round it, looking slightly nervous.

For a moment, there was a silence as the two teen superheroes looked tensely at one another, and then Adrien let a huge smile spread across his face.

"Hey, Mari." He said, stepping fully into the room, his grin infectious and his eyes sparkling.

"Hi," Marinette's voice was squeaky and she cleared her throat, embarrassed. "Adrien. Hi. Hey."

He chuckled and she noticed he was holding one of his hands behind his back. She raised an eyebrow, impressively cool considering the blush dusting her cheeks and he smirked coyly.

"These are for you," he announced, flamboyantly producing an extravagant bouquet of exquisite flowers, tied together with green ribbon and dusted with glitter. Mari gasped, her face lighting up at the sight of the beautiful blooms.

"Oh, Adrien! They're gorgeous! Thank you so much," she squealed, her heart fluttering at how damn romantic he was. _How was he so good at this_? As if reading her thoughts, Adrien smiled even more widely and stepped over to sit next to her, placing the bouquet in her hands.

Suddenly, Marinette stopped squealing and intensely surveyed the flowers, her heartbeat quickening as she recognised the blossoms. Adrien noticed and grew worried. He tried to play it cool.

"What's wrong? Stunned into silence by my romance and suave attitude, my Lady?"

"No," Mari giggled after a moment, covering her mouth with a hand as she dredged up distant knowledge she'd never thought she'd need. "But rouge amaryllis, lavender roses and spider flowers? Bit... _forward,_ isn't it?"

A wary frown crossed his face, his cheeks darkening slightly as he stared at her. Marinette could sense his confusion and laughed, setting the bouquet on her bedside table.

"What? What are you- what?" He looked even more bemused when she laughed again and shook her head.

"Adrien, what exactly did you tell the florist when you picked out the flowers?"

Adrien frowned again.

"Uh, that they were for a girl. Um, an important one. And… that she liked pink. That was about it. Why?"

When his only answer was more giggles, he narrowed his eyes at the flowers, thinking hard. A thought struck him and he looked at Mari, alarmed. "Wait- this isn't about the stupid flower language, is it? Oh, god, are these not good flowers? Because I swear, I have no idea what these mean."

Marinette was practically shaking the bed in her laughter and Adrien grew even more embarrassed and scared by the second.

"Come on- Mari- what do they- stop _laughing_ \- I- _what do they mean_?"

Marinette struggled to compose herself, managing to plaster a straight faced-mask over her smirk.

"Well, let's see," she began counting on her fingers as she listed the flowers and their meanings. "Okay, well the amaryllis are certainly flattering, they mean 'majestic beauty'… so thanks for that."

"Oh god." Adrien covered his face with his hands as she continued.

"And lavender roses mean you're enchanted with me. That's cool, that's always useful in a relationship. But then we get to the- _oh, you put_ _dodecatheons in here as well?_ I hadn't noticed… that makes this even better."

"What?" Adrien felt like he was dying in horror, especially when he saw the smug glint in his girlfriend's eyes. "What do the dodecahedrons mean?"

"Dodecatheons," she corrected. "Dodecahedrons are a type of shape.

"Whatever. What do they mean?"

"Dodecatheons… hmm. Well, I knew you liked me, but telling me I'm your 'divinity'? Especially through floriography… oh _Adrien_. And then there's the spider flowers. I'm flattered, but I really think you're going to have to talk to my father first."

" _What?_ "

"I mean, I'd love to elope with you, but we've only been together for a couple of months…"

" _What!?"_

Marinette laughed again at the horrified expression on her face, only stopping when the redheaded nurse strolled back in with a questioning smile on her face.

"Having fun?" Then she noticed Adrien and a gleeful expression crossed her face. "Oh, _Marinette_ … This must be your _friend_ \- gosh, look at those gorgeous flowers!"

"Aren't they beautiful?" Mari crowed, showing them off and ignoring the imploringly embarrassed look her boyfriend was giving her.

"Hmm. They are indeed." The nurse seemed to be giving the flowers a lot of attention and Adrien felt his stomach drop.

"Oh god, please don't tell me you have an advanced degree in flower language, too?"

The nurse laughed and Adrien wanted to sink through the floor. He was soo going to kill Plagg, the damn kwami was the one who'd picked out the stupid flowers.

"Not exactly an advanced degree, but I know my aconites from my amaryllis, and those are some stunning amaryllis right there. Marinette's a lucky girl." With that, the nurse placed a hairbrush on the bedside table, gave him a sly wink and exited the room.

"So, are we going to have a spring wedding, or were you just planning to whisk me off to Las Vegas?"

" _Maaariiiii_!"

Marinette laughed again, the chiming bell of her voice almost enough to quell the pool of mortification churning in his stomach.

"Adrien, I'm just teasing. They're beautiful, really. Thank you."

Adrien sighed and let a rueful smile tug at the corners of his lips.

"Good, I'm glad you like them. And Plagg was the one who picked them out, so you can blame him… _Oh!_ Now the look the florist gave me when I bought them totally makes sense…"

Giggling, Marinette leaned over to grab the front of his shirt to tug him in for a kiss. It was short, but when Adrien pulled back he was smiling even more widely and he was definitely less embarrassed.

He smiled at her through hooded eyes and she gazed back, love in her face and a grin still on her lips. Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside, and they looked round to see a doctor enter the ward, a clipboard in his hands.

"Doctor Angarius, good morning." Marinette smiled, sitting up straight. "Nurse Dulcifer said you had something to tell me."

The dark-haired man nodded a greeting to Adrien, then turned to Marinette.

"I do indeed, Miss Cheng. But I'm afraid, there's good news and bad news."


	35. Chapter 35

Ehehehehehe. I'd say I was sorry for the last chapter, but that'd be a lie. xx ALSO! I found out something awesome- Wingless is now the most reviewed Miraculous fic on ! How crazy is that?! This story has been so well-recieved and loved, and it warms my heart to know how many people like and follow this. It's insane! Thank you all SO much!

* * *

Marinette stiffened immediately, the sudden tension tangible. Adrien reached out automatically to grab her hand supportively as the doctor frowned at his clipboard. The blood had drained from her face, leaving her pale and her hand was trembling in his. He stroked the back of it with a thumb, trying to keep his own fear at bay so he could just be there for her. Whatever happened.

"Wh- okay, um, what's- what's the news?" She stammered and the doctor looked up, his face unreadable.

"Which one do you want first? Good or bad?"

Marinette floundered visibly and looked at Adrien for support. He nodded encouragingly, tightening his grip on her hands. Mari took a deep breath and looked back at Doctor Angarius.

"The- the bad news."

"Okay, well I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this Marinette, but I'm afraid… you're no longer able to rely on Nurse Dulcifer to be your personal chauffeur. She's grown entirely tired of having to carry you everywhere, and has insisted that you shake yourself out of your torpidity and begin to walk on your own again."

There was a brief pause, during which Adrien struggled to comprehend what the doctor had just said, his heart thumping panickedly in his chest. Next to him, Marinette was frowning, apparently just as confused as he was.

"Nurse Dulcifer- but- I don't…" she furrowed her brow, and then gasped. Adrien looked over to see an expression of hope and amazement dawn on her face. "Wait... I can walk? She- you- _I can get up_?"

Suddenly, the doctor's face split into a huge grin, showing shiny white teeth as he nodded.

"You can, indeed. The nurses and I have been awed by your remarkably speedy recovery, and have decided that- should you feel ready- you may start the physical therapy and begin to use your legs again."

Finally understanding, Adrien looked over to where Mari was bouncing ecstatically on the bed, her face in an identical Cheshire grin as the doctors. Her whole face was lit up in glee, her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkling. For the first time in weeks, she looked whole and well, the anticipation of returning to normality an enticing prospect.

"I apologise for the method in which I told you," the doctor continued ruefully, "it was Alessandra's idea. Nurse Dulcifer has always been one for pranks, but I hope I didn't cause either of you too much distress."

Adrien rolled his eyes. It sounded like the kind of thing Plagg would try to pull, and by the laughing light in Marinette's eyes, he could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"It's alright," she told the man good-naturedly, though the hammering that was only just beginning to slow in Adrien's chest begged to differ. "She's the one that's had to carry me to the bathroom twice a day for the last fortnight, I can accept a little teasing. So I take it there's no actual bad news?"

Angarius shook his head, smiling widely again.

"Nope, you're pretty much good to go. Well, 'go' as in 'try to stand up without falling over' in agony."

Marinette's face fell slightly.

"Oh. That's reassuring."

Adrien laughed at the trepidation in her eyes, knowing how perfectly alright she was bound to be.

"Please, you'll be fine." He told her lovingly, and he heard a light chuckle from the doctor.

"I agree with the young man. If the startling speed of your recovery is anything to go by, I think you'll do splendidly. One of the physiotherapists will be here soon to guide you, and I take it your friend would like to stay?"

Mari looked at Adrien, who nodded immediately.

"Of course, yeah, I'd love to stay."

"Good." Angarius smiled at the two and began making his way to the door. "Would you like me to send Nurse Dulcifer back in for a good telling-off?"

Marinette laughed and shook her head.

"No, it's fine, thank you doctor. I'll make sure to be extra whiny during tomorrow's bath, though, just to get my own back."

The man nodded with another chuckle, and left the two alone. Adrien practically collapsed the moment the door was shut, his head falling down onto the bed next to where he held Mari's hand.

"Oh my god, that was the _scariest thing_ …" he groaned, and felt Mari's free hand coming over to stroke comfortingly through his hair. "I thought he was going to say something terrible, like 'you've got three months to live' or 'turns out the bullet was poisoned' or something like that."

"I know, me too." Mari giggled. "I'm fine though, and I can finally start walking again!"

Adrien sat up at this, smiling brightly at her excitement.

"I'm so proud of you," he told her, bending to kiss her hand and holding it warmly in both of his. "You're so strong, I know you're going to have no problem doing this. And I'll be right here to help, you know that, right?"

"Of course, kitty. I know you'll catch me if I fall."

"Always."

oOo

"Are you ready, Miss Cheng?"

Nervous, Marinette took a deep breath, and looked to Adrien for reassurance. He stood around five feet away from where she sat in her wheelchair, his arms outstretched, ready for her to take his hands. He nodded encouragingly, so she looked back at the physiotherapist.

"Yes."

"Okay," the man nodded. "Before we begin, remember that your muscle strength can decrease by up to three percent with every day of inactivity, so it's perfectly normal for you to feel weak, or for this to cause discomfort. And you haven't been fully upright for several weeks, so dizziness may occur."

"Great." She mumbled, looking back at Adrien feeling slightly disheartened. She had been so looking forwards to being able to get up again, she was nervous now she had the opportunity. What if she couldn't do it? But at the hope and trust on her boyfriend's face, she pushed her self-doubts to the back of her mind and clenched her hands around the armrests of the chair. "Alright, let's do this."

She placed her feet flat on the floor, and slowly eased her weight onto herself. Marinette then cautiously pushed herself up with her arms, staying bent over for a moment before straightening her back to stand mostly upright. Her knees wobbled, not having had to support her for fifteen days, and the height at which she saw the world was disorienting and made her head spin. She kept her hands on the armrests, but even though she was not supporting her entire weight, her body felt sore and her legs felt weak.

Adrien saw the discomfort on her face and made to move closer, but stopping when she put out a hand. She needed to do this on her own, she needed to prove to herself that she was strong enough to do this.

"You okay, Mari?" His voice concerned, she could tell he was anxious for her. That wasn't exactly reassuring.

"I'm good," she muttered, her face full of concentration and focus. She took a deep breath, and ever so slowly eased one of her feet forwards. The physiotherapist watched eagle-eyed from a foot or two away as she let go of the wheelchair with first one hand, then the other. For a moment, she stood entirely unsupported, but then her knees buckled and Adrien sprinted across the space between them to catch her before she hit the floor.

"I've got you, Mari, it's okay." He whispered as he placed her back in the wheelchair. She was breathing heavily and her face was red as she avoided his gaze slightly. "You alright?"

"Fine." She responded curtly, and made to stand up again. "Let's go again."

"Woah, just give yourself a moment to adjust, okay?" He warned, not letting her stand up.

"I'm fine." She sounded determined, and the physio nodded at him to let her try again. So Adrien stood back as she breathed deeply and pushed herself over onto her feet again. But this time, she didn't even get the chance to let go of the armrests before her legs crumpled, and she had to lurch backwards into the chair so she wouldn't hit the floor.

Adrien had darted forwards to catch her again, but she practically threw his hands off his when he reached out for her. He jerked back from her as she looked stoically up at the physio.

"Could I have a drink of water, please?" She asked through gritted teeth, but if the therapist noticed her tone, he didn't comment, simply nodding and walking out of the ward.

"Marinette?" The girl didn't respond to the sound of her name, instead looked furiously down at her legs. Adrien was confused by her sudden change of mood until he noticed the tears pooling in her eyes even as she kept them looking away from him. Her loose hair swung down to curtain her face as she tried to hide her disappointment and embarrassment, but he stroked it behind her ear to look at her earnestly.

"Mari?"

"I'm _fine_ , Adrien." She practically snapped, and then her lower lip trembled.

"Mari, you're doing _so_ well. You've made amazing progress- this is the first time you've stood up in two weeks and you didn't even black out."

"Couldn't manage to take one bloody step, though." Marinette whispered miserably, thoroughly disgusted with her weakness. "What kind of superhero am I if I can't even walk?"

"Princess, you've got to give yourself a chance!" Adrien tipped her chin up to make her look at him as he hovered over her. "You've only tried twice and you even managed to stand up on your own. That's brilliant, considering you got yourself shot only two weeks ago. Give yourself the opportunity to be weak, you're entirely allowed to not be perfect right now. I'll think nothing less of you, no matter how many times it takes you."

"I was so looking forward to this though," the bluenette mumbled, all her hostility gone in the wake of her crestfallen dismay. "I was going mad, having to be carried everywhere, stuck in bed all day. I couldn't wait to start being _me_ again. I thought once I had the chance I'd just be able to jump right back into it. And now- now I can't. I mean, I can't even walk. How am I supposed to be Ladybug?"

"Come on, give yourself time. You've spent the last two weeks recovering from a bullet wound, your body's not exactly at it's peak right now. And the physiotherapist said it's perfectly normal to feel wobbly- your muscle strength could have deteriorated by nearly fifty percent over the fifteen days, so I think even standing up is a tremendous achievement. Don't you?"

She didn't meet his eyes.

"I- I don't like feeling weak."

Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are the strongest person I know, and also the most infuriating." She looked up at Adrien at his words, an incredulous frown furrowing her forehead. "You're brave and strong and beautiful and incredible, but also the most self-deprecating and unconfident idiot I've ever had the misfortune of loving."

"Um, thanks?"

He laughed, taking one of her hands in his and clutching it to his chest, relishing the way the darkness was slowly leaving her face as he spoke.

"You're doing incredibly well, Marinette. You're not weak. You heard Doctor Angarius, your recovery was remarkably fast and you're already managing to stand up unsupported- _don't interrupt me-_ even if only for a moment. I think that's an achievement and you should be happy with it. I'm _humongously_ proud of you, and you need to recognise that's it's okay to not be perfect for a while. It's okay to be human."

Marinette was silent, until her hand tightened around his and she let out a little huff of a laugh.

"God, when did you get so good at all this motivational speech stuff? You're giving Ladybug a run for her money."

The blond chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I did learn from the best." He stood up and beamed down at her as a soft smile crossed her face.

"Adrien?

"Yes, my lady?"

"Thank you. I- I know that these last few weeks haven't been easy on you, and you've basically been my rock throughout the whole ordeal. I don't know how you manage to be so optimistic and hopeful and so irritatingly _soppy_ the whole time, but I really appreciate it. So thank you."

Adrien hunkered back down to look at her, his lips curving upwards gently

"Hey, I told you I'd be here to catch you, didn't I?" He stroked her cheek with his hand and she leaned into his touch. They then heard the door to the ward open again as the physiotherapist came back in with a plastic cup full of water.

"Here we go, Miss Cheng. Ready to try again?"

Taking the cup from him and placing it carefully on the floor next to her, Mari nodded. Adrien backed a few feet away from her, grinning at the determination that crossed her face.

"Ready."


	36. Chapter 36

It pains me to say it, but we're nearly at the end of Wingless now! I'd originally planned to have another chapter between the last one and this one, but it didn't seem to fit and so I merged them. I'm not going to say how long we've got left as I have a feeling I'd get a lot of you screaming at me in the reviews, but I just want to prepare you... Just to clarify: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. I need to get that across, too... And there is a slight time jump in this, just so you know. It's only a couple of weeks, but I want to make it clear. :3 Enjoy! xx

* * *

" _Welcome back, Marinette!_ "

The enthusiasm with which Marinette was greeted was startling enough to make her trip through the door way as practically the entire class shouted at her arrival. Fortunately, Adrien was directly behind her and was ready to catch her and prevent the otherwise-inevitable face plant, and he did so with a chuckle.

Even Madame Bustier was smiling at the bluenette as she turned pink at the attention and stammered her thanks. The beaming grins of her classmates were everywhere and unavoidable, so Mari resigned herself to staying scarlet for the rest of the period. She shyly took her seat next to Adrien and tried not to look too pleased with her reception. It didn't last long- people started crowding around her the moment she sat down, anxious to make the most of the few minutes they had before registration officially began by talking to their newly-interesting classmate.

"How are you feeling? You look well," gushed Rose, staring awe-struck at the other girl.

"You're totally hard core, serious respect." Juleka stated and Ivan nodded his agreement.

"You were so brave!" Alix's compliment made Mari blush even harder, unused to all the attention.

"What happened? There's no footage of what happened to you, all anyone managed to film was what happened to Ladybug." The words from Max were possibly the most nerve-racking, and Mari shot a helpless look at Adrien. This was what she hadn't looked forwards to about her return to school- the questioning. Apparently three weeks in hospital and then three more days off at home weren't enough to dissipate anyone's interest in the events that had put her in hospital. Luckily, she'd spent enough time with Alya, Nino and Adrien to get her story straight. She hoped she was prepared enough.

"What do you want to know, exactly?" Mari asked nervously, grateful for the calming pressure of Adrien's hand on hers under the desk.

"Well… Adrien, Alya and Nino have pretty much told us everything." Mylene admitted and the others nodded. "But we wanna hear it from your point of view!"

"Yeah, considering you're the one who actually… _y'know_ …" Kim trailed off, a little sheepish.

"Got shot?" Mari supplied with a laugh, and some others laughed too, relieved at her light-heartedness. "Well okay, you all know that the four of us were at the pizzeria when the bomb went off. I was a bit dizzy and bruised afterwards, but I took the others to safety, then went back to help other people get away from the fire. I knew I was probably in more of a sound mind than loads of the other people who had been there, and I knew I'd be able to help. I couldn't just stand there, so I ran back."

"Wow…" Nathanael muttered, looking star-struck. Marinette grinned to herself when Adrien's hand tightened territorially on hers before continuing.

"I saw Ladybug and Chat Noir helping people get away, and they pointed me in the direction of some people who were, like, dizzy or injured after the explosion. I helped a couple of people away from the smoke and stuff, then Adrien showed up." She shook her head at him, exasperated, and he shrugged.

"I wasn't about to let you go on your own." He snorted. "I know you. You'd probably have tripped over and fallen face-first into the fire if I hadn't turned up to help."

Marinette looked outraged. Of course, this was all for show- the four had practiced their story over and over until they were all word-perfect. This was all part of the façade.

"Hey, I was doing fine!"

"Until you got shot." Nino muttered, and their classmates looked at him, aghast, until Marinette laughed.

"Yeah, but that had nothing to do with me. It wasn't my fault the robber had a terrible aim."

"Yeah, what exactly went down with that?" Alix asked, and the class refocused on the bluenette.

Mari took a deep breath- this was the important bit.

"It was after the fire engines had put out the fire, and were starting to drive away- the ambulances too. People were starting to leave, and then this shot rang out and there were five guys in front of the where the bank had exploded. This one man was telling everyone to stay back while they robbed the place, and they all had guns so everyone was screaming and running for cover. Chat and Ladybug showed up after two guys went in to rob it while the other three stayed outside. Chat took down the first two, and Ladybug took down the other one. Adrien and I were hiding behind an overturned car at this point, and I noticed that there were these other two kids hiding a couple of feet away. They couldn't have been more than, what-" she looked at Adrien, "eight, nine?"

"I reckon one was eight and the other seven." He agreed, as planned, and Marinette nodded before returning to her story.

"Yeah, so they were like half our age and obviously scared out of their minds. They were sobbing and honestly looked like they were about to faint. So while I thought Chat Noir and Ladybug were taking care of things, I stood up from behind the car and started going over to them when one of the other robbers came out of the bank and shot twice at Ladybug. The second shot was the one that hit Ladybug, but the first one hit me."

There was an awed silence, her classmates looking at her with respect and amazement. As the hush continued, Mari grew nervous and blushed even deeper. The silence wasn't reassuring, and her mind went into panic-mode.

Had her story not been convincing? Had they not believed it? Were they all slowly making the connection? Was she fully revealed?

Adrien sensed her growing panic, and jumped in.

"I saw Mari get hit," he continued confidently and was relieved when his classmates' eyes snapped to him. "And there weren't any ambulances left, they'd all gone back to the hospital with the other injured people, so I carried her to where Alya and Nino were, and we waited for the paramedics there."

"It was terrifying." Alya admitted, drawing the attention to herself like they'd scripted. "He shows up with Mari in his arms and then she's covered in blood and barely conscious…" She didn't need to force the shudder that rocked through her body at the memory.

"We had to stop her from going into shock," Nino explained. "We needed to keep her warm and awake, so we did, and then the ambulances arrived and I brought the paramedics so they could pack her into an ambulance and get her off to the hospital."

"And then one paramedic said we could go in the next ambulance to get us checked out for shock and stuff." Adrien finished, hoping that they wouldn't be forced to improvise any answers to unexpected questions. For the last month or so, he, Alya and Nino had avoided their classmates' curiosity as much as possible, insisting that they'd explain everything better when Marinette came back. This had given them time to rehearse their story with the girl in question, as well as checking it several times to look for any plot-holes. It seemed watertight, and the four were just hoping it would hold up under their classmates' scrutiny. They were also praying that Chloe wouldn't make it her business to make life difficult for Mari.

The blonde had been remarkably quiet over the last few weeks, only shooting them thoughtful and suspicious glances across the classroom every now and then. She was clearly pondering whether or not they, too, knew Mari's secret, and they'd given her no incentive to think one option was more likely than the other. In fact, Chloe had decided that they probably did know, but that they also knew that she'd been blackmailing the girl with that secret in particular. She had a feeling they were waiting for her to make a move before laying into her about it, and had decided that the best course of action was to stay quiet.

She was sitting silently in her seat now, fuming at Sabrina's interest in Marinette's story but resolving that it would be better for her health if she didn't say anything incriminating about the similarities between Marinette's and Ladybug's injuries. She didn't want to go up against Alya, Nino and Adrien in class, and she doubted that her other classmates would be very impressed with her, no matter how satisfying the look of panic on Marinette's face would be. And, truth be told, she was ever-so-slightly absolutely terrified of Chat Noir after he'd broken into her room and smashed her phone, and was loathe to do anything that might incur his wrath. So she remained quiet, only giving irritated huffs now and then to voice her displeasure at the attention she wasn't being given.

"You're so brave," murmured Sabrina quietly. "I could never have done something like that."

"Yeah, running back towards the fire and saving those civilians? Totally cool." Juleka was just as awe-struck, even more so than she had been when she'd found out Mari had created the artwork for Jagged Stone's most popular album yet. Which was saying something.

"Respect." Agreed Kim and Mari breathed an inward sigh of relief.

They'd bought it.

She shared a quiet look of gratitude with her three co-conspirators, secretly thankful when the bell rang and her other friends were forced to go back to their own seats.

Madame Bustier, who was pretending she hadn't been listening intently to every word of the conversation, stood up to get the class' attention.

"Good morning, class. As you all obviously know, today we're welcoming back one of our classmates after her injuries at the Champs-Elysees robbery, but I hope you're not all too distracted to focus on today's lessons. But Marinette, we are all immensely proud of you, and are awed by your bravery, selflessness and heroism. That being said, we must get back to class." The woman smiled kindly at the now-scarlet teenager before picking up the register and calling out the names.

After answering for himself, Adrien looked over at his girlfriend, squeezing her hand under the desk with a smile.

"Hear that?" He muttered. She looked at him questioningly, the embarrassment but pride still evident on her blushing face. "You're brave, selfless and heroic."

She giggled quietly, giddy with relief that her classmates had believed them. She waved his words away good-naturedly, speaking in a low voice.

"Please. All in a day's work."


	37. Chapter 37

I like writing fluff :3 these drks are just too freaking cute xx

* * *

Chat's pressure on her hand was comforting, and Ladybug gripped onto it tightly.

"Ready?" The trust in his voice was supportive and calming, but even so, she had to take a couple of deep breaths before nodding.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"It'll be fine, my lady. Just stay calm, and it'll go smoothly."

She swallowed, and nodded again. After looking at her for further confirmation, Chat gripped her hand again, and the two walked out from under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower into the fading light of Parisian dusk. They didn't have to wait long. Now they were visible, people could be seen pointing and staring at the two, some people running over immediately, and Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Told you."

Chat smiled gently, tugging her closer and leaning back against one of the pillars holding up the monument.

"But this is good, isn't it? This is all part of the plan."

Frowning slightly, Ladybug rubbed her eyes with tired fingers.

"Yeah, but still."

"It'll be fine, Ladybug." Chat promised. "Not long now- I expect the reporters will be here any second."

Sure enough, now that word had gotten around that Paris' superheroes were back once more, journalists, fans and TV crews were flocking to the area before three minutes had passed.

"Ladybug!"

"Chat Noir, is it true-"

"Where have you been?"

"Was it Hawkmoth?"

"Over here, Ladybug!"

There was a huge crowd gathering around the two, and only Paris' respectfulness and the heroes' prestigious reputation kept the teens from being totally swamped and trampled. Even so, it was getting claustrophobic as the last light of day began to vanish and the throng grew even more.

"Should we take this higher?" Ladybug murmured to Chat, gripping his hand tightly as she plastered a smile onto the face and tried to look at every camera at once.

"I think that would be for the best," he admitted tensely, and Ladybug threw her yo-yo at the same time he extended his baton. The crowd groaned in disappointment as they flew upwards, only placated when they realised they weren't leaving, just going higher to be more visible and have more control.

Standing on a beam twenty metres above the ground, Ladybug felt a bizarre amount calmer. She took a deep breath before stepping forwards and giving a smile to the people below. She saw helicopters in the distance, and knew that this would be on every TV screen in Paris. The camera lenses flashing at her from below would be sure to pick up her every facial expression, too. This needed to work.

Spreading her arms wide in a welcoming gesture, Ladybug addressed the crowd.

"Paris!" She called, and the crowd hushed immediately, knowing it was about to get the answers it had been craving for weeks. "It's good to see you again. I'm sorry it's been so long, but unfortunately, I was unavoidably detained."

A murmur of a laugh rippled through the crowd, and a warmth spread through Ladybug's chest as she saw the smiling faces of the people she worked so hard to protect. She had missed being Ladybug.

"I know you must all want answers," she continued confidently, "so tonight, Chat Noir and I are here to give them to you. As I'm sure you're all aware, nearly four weeks ago there was an occurrence at a bank on the Champs-Elysees, during which there was an explosion. Upon hearing this, Chat Noir and I arrived on the scene and began to help civilians leave the dangerous area. Once the fire was put out, we continued to do so, until the perpetrators of the explosion appeared and began to announce their intention- to rob the bank and harm those who got in their way. Two men then went inside, and Chat and I proceeded to de-arm the three remaining. We did so, and were about to enter the bank when one of the robbers inside managed to get two shots out before I could relieve him of his weapon. The first shot missed, but the second didn't. I was hit."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd, despite the fact that they'd either heard this or seen footage of it already. It was the shock of hearing it from their supposedly-indestructible heroine's mouth that made it all the more real. The citizens listened intently to her following words.

"I was hit in the shoulder," Ladybug lied, separating her story further from the one people knew to be Marinette's. "It was not a fatal wound, obviously, but it was enough to de-rail me ever so slightly. I have spent the last four weeks in a secure and to-remain _-private_ location, healing and getting back my strength. I- and Chat Noir, I'm sure- am pleased to announce that I am once more fully functional," Chat snorted from behind her at her choice of words, "and am ready to continue protecting and saving the city and people I love. I can only apologise for any uncertainty or fear I may have caused during my absence, but I can assure you all that I am in full health and prepared to take whatever hits life decides to throw at me. In short: Ladybug's back."

oOo

"That was great, Marinette!" Alya squealed as the two heroes dropped through Marinette's ceiling hatch to land on the girl's bed. Nino and Alya were sitting around Mari's computer, watching the live streams coming from the Eiffel Tower. As far as Tom and Sabine knew, their daughter and Adrien were up there too, and they were far too engrossed in watching the superheroes to check on the group. This had made it easy for them to plan their city-wide address, something Mari had been itching to do for days.

"Thank god it's over." She sighed, releasing her transformation as she slid the hatch shut. Adrien let his own go as he clambered down the ladder to flop on the pile of sleeping bags the four had on Mari's floor.

"That was surprisingly nerve-racking," he admitted, his voice muffled by the bedding. He rolled over to look at her as she slipped down to sit next to him. "But they all love you so much more now. You're like a martyr as well as a heroine."

"If you had a manager or publicist, they'd be congratulating you on your PR stunt," Nino agreed, flicking off the monitor and taking a bite of his now-cold leftover pizza. "Now you're not just the girl who saves Paris, you're the girl who gets shot to save Paris. This is great for your image."

"Yeah, because I got shot for my _image_." Mari's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I only did it because Mister Hot-Head here couldn't wait three minutes for the police to arrive, despite the fact he had about thirty seconds left, himself, before his transformation ran out."

Adrien's face went scarlet, guilt churning in his stomach even as Marinette ruffled his hair and smiled at him exasperatedly.

"Well, I- you know... _Mari_...-" He threw himself face-first onto the pillows they had stacked next to the sleeping bags. "Please, don't guilt trip me again, I already feel awful."

Grabbing him by the shoulder, Marinette hauled him back up and, smiling, pressed a short kiss to his mouth.

"Kitty, I'm just teasing."

"Still." Adrien didn't look at her. "That's what happened though, isn't it?"

Mari rolled her eyes.

"Don't lets go into this again, Adrien. You've saved me god knows how many times, and you can't let me take the hit for you _once_ without feeling like a shmuck. Give yourself a break, for the love of god."

"He's awful, isn't he?" Plagg muttered from his pile of camembert up by Marinette's bed. "Don't let him get any momentum or you'll be hearing about what a lousy, dishonourable, despicable human being he is all night."

Adrien threw a pillow at the kwami, but felt oddly reassured, especially when Marinette whacked him in the face with a cushion.

"Hear that?" She giggled while he spat feathers out of his mouth. "You're not dishonourable, and I forgive you. So shut up."

Alya, who had been watching all of this with a large, triumphant grin on her face, snorted.

"Never thought I'd see the day where Marinette would be able to hit Adrien in the face with a pillow and openly flirt with him. You guys really are _miraculous_ , huh?"

Adrien rolled his eyes, and startled Marinette (now scarlet) by yanking her into him for a kiss. He drew back and looked smugly at Alya.

"That better?"

"You make me sick." She replied, and Nino (who had been leaning in for a kiss of his own) pulled back, looking affronted.

"Fine. No Mr DJ for you tonight then." He slipped off his chair to join the other two on the floor, grinning when Alya scowled.

"Please, you know you can't resist this." She gestured to herself proudly and Nino mimed being blinded by her beauty. The other laughed, especially when Alya practically belly-flopped off her chair and onto Nino. The four teenagers and two kwamis just sat for a while, chuckling and enjoying each other's company before footsteps could be heard sounding on the stairs below. The kwamis hid quietly as the trapdoor opened and Sabine poked her head through.

"Everyone doing okay?" She asked, and a chorus of agreements sounded from the teenagers.

"We were about to change into pajamas, Mama." Marinette told her, pigtails awry from wriggling about amongst the sleeping bags.

"Okay, well try not to be too loud. Tom's going to go to bed soon." Sabine smiled, and made to go downstairs before turning back to the children. "Did you guys hear about what happened at the Eiffel Tower."

"Yes!" Alya crowed, her Ladyblogger side not needing much encouragement to show itself, despite the fact she now knew how close she was to her heroine. "Ladybug is back! I'm so glad, Chat's had to deal with akumas himself for the past few weeks, and there's only so many butterflies he can trap before he runs out of mason jars."

Adrien buried his face in a pillow to mask his laughter while Sabine looked faintly amused.

"Yes, well, I'm glad Ladybug's okay."

"Everyone's so relieved. Half of Paris thought she was dead." Nino's words brought a snort out of Marinette, and he smirked. "Good to have her back, though."

"It is." Sabine agreed. "Well, goodnight guys, I'll see you in the morning. How do pancakes sound for breakfast?"

From the yells and energetic nods, she guessed that was an affirmation, so she smiled and quietly shut the trapdoor.

Once alone, the teenagers smiled at each other secretively.

"Well, I'm not dead." Marinette told them, leaning back luxuriously on the sleeping bags. Adrien took advantage of her position to get revenge, and promptly smacked her in the face with her own pillow, earning himself a squeal.

"Thank god. I don't know how Paris would survive without you, my Lady." He replied smoothly, ignoring the glare she was giving him.

"I'm surprised it didn't already combust," Nino added, trying not to spill hot chocolate everywhere as he took a sip. "We hadn't seen hide nor hair of Ladybug for four weeks- since she'd gotten shot. I can't believe you two left it this long to give a public address."

"Meh. You'll survive." Marinette said indifferently. "But now it's time to relax. I'm free, I have two legs again and I no longer have a hole in my spleen."

"Took you long enough." Adrien muttered, and Mari gave him a shove. He chuckled, and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her towards him until she was lying between his legs, her back to his chest. "It's good to have you back, my lady."

"Get a room." Alya groaned, but smiled when Mari twisted around to peck her boyfriend on the lips.

"Good to be back."


	38. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Adrien, thank you so much!" Mari gushed as the two walked out of the Musee-d'Orsay, having just spent hours perusing the exhibits and beautiful arts. "Oh, that was so wonderful!"

Adrien smiled as she bobbed happily along next to him, her hand tightly clasped in his.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did promise to take you, remember? As compensation for me not being able to visit you in hospital as Adrien."

"Still. That was so beautiful, I love Delacroix, he's one of the best French Romantics. I'm so glad you were able to get tickets- how did you manage it, it's the last day of the exhibition?"

"Being the son of the city's most prestiious designer in Paris has it's perks." The blond shrugged as he tugged his girlfriend along behind him so they could walk along the riverfront. "Father was able to influence the manager with some promised publicity."

Mari's eyes were big and slightly nervous as they looked up at him, their blue depths glinting in the bright afternoon sunlight.

"Oh… H-How does he feel about that, exactly? About you and me. I remember you saying he thought I was a bad influence on you."

A smile- that looked a little like a grimace- passed over Adrien's face.

"Well, when I told him I was dating Marinette Dupain-Cheng, he did wonder why the name rang a bell."

"Really?" Marinette looked at him anxiously.

"Yep. But he'd totally forgotten about the fact it was _you_ I was visiting in hospital, so I just told him that you were the girl who won the derby hat competition. He was far more likely to remember you for that than the other thing."

Her mouth popped open and Adrien looked at her in surprise as she floundered for words.

"He- you- rem- _he remembers my designs_?!" Her voice was a high-pitched squeal and Adrien chuckled at her excitement.

"Apparently."

"Oh my _god_. Gabriel Agreste- _Gabriel Agreste remembers me._ You- wow. God. The top designer in Paris remembers me. Well… I… this certainly makes dating you worthwhile, huh?"

"Oi." Adrien pretended to look offended, and Mari giggled before pecking a kiss to his cheek.

"There are other perks, too." She admitted.

"Good." Adrien threw his arm across her shoulder as they strolled along the Seine. "Like getting tickets to the last day of exhibition at the Musee, yeah?"

"Amongst other things." Her voice turned coy and teasing.

"Mmm? Name some."

Marinette pretended to think, her loose hair flowing behind them in a cooling breeze. Adrien tried not to look too captivated by her, but it was _hard_. She saw him staring and giggled through her consequent blush.

"Well, you're very sweet."

"Good start. That's always what a guy wants to hear. _Sweet_."

"Oh yeah? Okay, how about handsome?"

"Better."

"Right. Kind?"

"Meh."

"What about… alluring?"

Adrien snorted, her choice of words not one he'd thought she'd go for.

"Uh, sure."

Marinette giggled and pulled him around to face her. She stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arms round behind his neck to pull them together.

"You're also charming, intelligent, funny, goofy, absurd, brave, and very, very pretty."

She pecked a kiss to his lips and pulled back to see him grinning.

"I thought we were describing me, not you, my lady?"

"Aah. And a sweet-talker to boot."

"Count on it." He promised, and chased after her mouth for another kiss. She allowed him one, but soon pulled away and grabbed his hand again, heading off back on their walk. The two walked in a comfortable quiet for another few minutes.

"What's the time?" Marinette asked after a while. Adrien raised an eyebrow whilst digging his phone out of his pockets.

"Why, have you got somewhere to be, bugaboo?"

"Nope. Just wondering."

"Okay, well it's-" Adrien broke off suddenly, his gaze focused on something Marinette couldn't see. Slightly concerned, she peered around to try and see what he was looking at, but she couldn't make it out. There were few other people around, most of them too far away to identify. Everything looked normal. She tugged at his hand.

"What? What's wrong?"

He dragged his gaze down to her, and she could see the cogs turning in his head, churning out an idea she didn't understand.

"Nothing." He breathed slowly, a mischievous and (dare she say it) rakish grin spreading across his face.

"What were you looking at?" She peered about again bemusedly, until Adrien placed his hands on her shoulders and hurried her over to stand with her back against the railing along the river.

"Nothing. There's something I have to do. Wait here- I'll be right back."

Marinette frowned as he dashed off. She waited for a few minutes, utterly befuddled, until a harsh, shrill laugh echoed along the street to her. She turned to see a couple of people walking towards her, a few hundred yards away. Mari squinted, and only then did she see that it was none other than Chloe and Sabrina. They didn't appear to have noticed her yet, as they were chatting and giggling as they walked along the the river.

"Marinette!" Called a voice, and the bluenette turned to see Nino and Alya darting towards her.

"Hey, guys. What're you doing here?"

Nino shrugged.

"We were in the area, and then I got a text from Adrien telling me to come to the Seine near the Musee-d'Orsay and find you."

"He also said to bring a camera." Alya added. "Where is he?"

"I… don't know." Mari frowned again. "We were walking, and suddenly he goes all tense and tells me to wait right here before running off."

"I wonder what he's-" Nino's musings were cut off abruptly by an almighty shriek, and then a splash. The three turned immediately to look at where the two girls from their class had been only moments previously. Only, now there was only Sabrina. And, bizarrely, Chat Noir. It didn't take them long to see where Chloe had gone- a huge, noisy thrashing was coming from the river, accompanied by outraged screeching and squawking.

Marinette and her friends dashed over to where there was a break in the fence by the river, hardly daring to believe it. Mari clapped a hand to her mouth when she saw Chloe floundering about, outraged in the filthy water below.

Sabrina, too, stood stock-still, staring at the splashing figure in the water. She looked like she wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. She sure wanted to.

Chat was trying his best to look innocent as Mari narrowed her eyes at him, playing with his tail idly as he leant against the nearest railing.

"Whoops. How did that happen?" His eyes were wide, his face blank as he stared at the screeching girl in the brown water.

Marinette tried not to laugh, her stomach aching with the effort of holding it in.

"It's a mystery." She could hear Alya and Nino spluttering behind her and tried to fix a glare on her face. "Maybe you should give her a hand?"

Chat sighed, reluctantly extending his baton down into the river where Chloe threw her arms around it, still gurgling indistinctly. He pulled it up and dumped the soaking girl unceremoniously on the ground before the little group.

"I- how dare- do you know _-_ m-my _shoes_ -" Chloe babbled, her pristine white jeans now rather brown and muddy. Her jacket was awry, her hair tangled, dripping and full of leaves. Sabrina was also now trying not to giggle, and Marinette fought to keep her own laughter bottled up.

"You okay, Chloe?" Her voice was strained with effort, and Chloe tried to glare at her. It wasn't very effective- she was soaking wet and had a twig stuck behind her ear.

"I- but- _how dare you_." She snarled, staggering upright. She looked like she was ready to slap the bluenette until the click of a camera caught her attention. She looked behind Marinette to where Alya and Nino were clutching at each other in an effort to remain upright, tears streaming down their faces as they laughed so hard they cried. Alya's phone was in her hand, and there was a photo evident on the screen- Chloe drenched in river water, her hair the messiest it had ever been and her face twisted in a very unattractive position.

The blonde went scarlet, her chin dripping. She stuggled to compose herself (despite having a bit off tree stuck to her cheek) and stepped forwards.

"Listen- do you- you- delete that immediately, or I'll-" Clearing his throat, Chat raised an eyebrow, and she froze.

"You'll what?" He asked smoothly, the smugness evident in his voice as he moved to stand beside Marinette. Behind them, Alya was now on the floor as she pointed and gasped at the ridiculous photo.

"I-" Chloe squeaked, her lingering fear of Chat Noir the only thing keeping her in place.

Chat smirked as she floundered.

"Thought not. Now, why don't you run along home? I think your hair needs a brush." There was a note of danger in his voice, and Chloe spluttered indignantly for a moment. Then she turned and stormed away, her wet shoes going _squish squish squish_ as she marched away, and left damp footprints in her wake. Sabrina hurriedly smoothed the smile from her face (it took a lot of effort) and turned to go. But before she left, she looked at Alya and whispered;

"Please send that to me."

" _Sabrina_!"

"Coming!" The redhead allowed herself a giggle before darting off after the fuming Bourgeois girl.

Turning to Chat, Marinette had to press her lips together to keep from exploding into laughter. Her shoulders shook and Nino's spluttering weren't making it easy for her. Chat raised an eyebrow at her, his face a mask of innocence even as his eyes danced.

"Yes?"

"You," Mari fought to keep her voice even, "pushed _Chloe Bourgeois_ into the _Seine_."

"I would never do such a thing." He said, mock-insulted, pressing a hand to his chest in shock. "She tripped." Mari raised an eyebrow, and he continued, "after I pushed her."

There was a pause.

And then Marinette exploded. She couldn't contain it any longer- great big belly laughs rocked out of her, her eyes scrunching up as she roared. Chat began to laugh too, especially when she became so wrapped up in her mirth that she was basically lying on the floor. Alya zoomed in on the photo to show, yet again, exactly how ridiculous Chloe's expression was, and soon they were all four of them struggling to breathe.

Nino pressed a hand to his face, his ribs aching as he fought to contain himself.

"Oh. My. God."

"Unbelievable." Alya gasped.

Mari worked to lower her voice, her glee evident in her face as she continued to snort.

"Chat… you just... I can't _believe_ you did that."

He shrugged, and pulled her over to half-lie on him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, still chuckling. The street around them was vacant, so he looked around and released his transformation.

"I've been wanting to do that for months." The boy admitted with a chortle and Marinette squeaked as she laughed again. She pressed a hand to her stomach in an effort to quieten herself, before turning around to gaze at him.

"You… Jeez. _Amazing._ Adrien… _thank you_. So, _so_ much. That was better than the date."

"Really?" Adrien laughed. "I should have just arranged this instead of taking you to the museum. That would have been much quicker."

Mari giggled, squeezing her eyes shut as she remembered the outrage on Chloe's face, the way her shoes squelched as she walked away, the misleading innocence on Chat's face.

"I guess that there's another perk of dating you." She grinned and he looked pleased.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

She gazed at him, warmth in her chest as she thought about how much she loved him, how much he was willing to do for her.

"You're ridiculous. You're unbelievably bizarre and fantastic and you're so invested in my own well-being that you're willing to half-drown someone on my behalf. You're brave, and loving, and empathetic. And I wouldn't have it any other way. You've always been there for me, Adrien, whether I knew it was you or not. You're always there to pick me up when I'm down, you believe in me even when I can't believe in myself."

He smiled, the universe around them disappearing as they gazed at each other. There were no masks between them, he was bared to her- all his love and happiness and hopes exposed, as hers were to him.

"I'll always be there for you." Adrien vowed. "Even when you feel like you're pinned to the earth, like you're wingless, I'll be there to help you fly."

Marinette smiled, her heart swelling.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

 **The End**

* * *

I can't believe it's over! This story has basically taken over my life for the last few weeks, and I'm going to miss it so, so much. You guys have been amazing- you've been so positive, encouraging, lovely and FANTASTIC and I'm going to miss all your beautiful and hilarious reviews. Thank you all so much for enjoying Wingless for me, you all made it so, so worth my while. I will write more ML in the future, so leave prompts for me! I'm already working on a collection of one-shots, so if you give me any inspiration I'll make sure to credit you if and when I use it. But thank you, and I love you all so much for being such an appreciative and supportive audience. You all helped Wingless reach this point by being so positive and loving. I couldn't have done it without you, and I'm just sad it's over.

Rachel xx


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